DARING BAKER LAVASH

The Daring Bakers strike again. This time with a savory Vegan dish. Now how cool is that? It was a nice break from buttercream, although I really can't complain about buttercream. And you know something? Lavash has been on my to do list for quite sometime. Why did I wait so long? Put forth a little effort and you are rewarded with some fresh crunchiness! At a low price, I might add. The red in the picture is Mark Bittman's Tomato Jam. Click here for the recipe. It was fabulous. It was a hit at the picnic that I took it to!
The lavash was amazing. It is a versatil creature! So many things you can do to it. Here I sprinkled on za'tar. Za'tar is a spice blend. There are many variations out there but this particular one has Mediterranean thyme, sumac (a lemony taste) and sesame seeds. I have seen ones with hazelnuts in them too. THe recipe for the lavash is below.

And finally the skordalia. Skordalia is a Greek dip. It is very tastey. I made a few changes to the recipe and would make a few more the next time.

Thank you to Shelly from Musings from the Fishbowl. This was a fabulous pick! Many of the DB's also did a gluten free variety of these crackers. So go and check them out.

Skordalia
Lipsmacking Goodness's Interpretation
The Orginal recipe

24 ounces potatoes
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and peeled
5 garlic cloves
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
s and p to taste

Peel and cut potatoes. Place in sauce pan with about a teaspoon salt and boil until tender.

In a processor, blend garlic until minced, add walnuts and blend until fine. Add potatoes and pulse. You will notice that the potatoes become very glutious as you process them, thats how you want it. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. While processor runs add olive oil in a stream.


LAVASH
Recipe Reference: The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

The key to a crisp lavash,...is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature


1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, sugar, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firm, satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of za'tar. Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.