Armenian lavash has long moved from the status of bread to the category of a universal component, serving as the basis for such dishes as shawarma, puff pastries, rolls, as well as all kinds of quick snacks. Today we will bake pita bread ourselves, and also look at some popular additions.

Homemade yeast-free lavash

The cooking technology is extremely simple. We will bake thin Armenian lavash in a frying pan in portions. As ingredients we will need:

• wheat flour - 4 cups;
• water - 350 ml;
• a tablespoon of vodka;
• chicken egg - 1 piece;
• sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• salt - 1 teaspoon.

As you can see, there is no yeast in the recipe, which is a definite plus. So, take a pan, fill in the indicated amount of water, immediately add salt and sunflower oil. Turn on the heat and wait for the water in the pan to boil. Separately, sift the flour into a bowl through a sieve, add the egg, vodka and try to mix. Of course, one egg is not able to cover the entire composition of flour. Gradually add hot liquid to the flour, stirring thoroughly at the same time. Why don't we add flour to water, but do it the other way around? Because otherwise our dough will be overcome by numerous lumps. Having poured in everything to the last drop, we begin to knead the dough with our hands. At first, the mass will stick very much to your hands, but very soon the dough will take the form of an elastic lump.

Divide into portions

Homemade pita bread will be especially thin and fragrant if you place the dough immediately after kneading in a plastic bag and let it stand at room temperature for at least an hour. During this time, be sure to remove the dough from the bag at least once and knead thoroughly. When it has “rested” properly, cut it into portions, as if we were going to make pies. Typically, the amount of ingredients indicated in the recipe yields approximately 15 portioned pieces. Now it’s time to arm yourself with a rolling pin and roll out thin cakes from each piece.

Baking process

Place the resulting flat cakes in a preheated large-diameter frying pan and fry on both sides. Armenian lavash has one little secret: it is fried without oil. When the pan is hot enough, the heat on the stove will need to be reduced to moderate. It will take about a minute and a half to fully cook one side of the pita bread. Properly kneaded dough should bubble in the pan, thereby forming inner layers. Lavash turned over on the other side can even turn into a bubble. We wait another 30 seconds and remove the ruddy thin pita bread from the pan. Now we need to sprinkle the finished cake with water (you can use a spray bottle) and cover with a towel. Only in this way will the Armenian bread become soft. We carry out the same manipulations with the remaining rolled out cakes.

You can also bake Armenian lavash in the oven on a baking sheet on both sides. This method of preparing aromatic bread will appeal to those who do not agree with the small size of the frying pan.

How to store

You can serve freshly baked Armenian lavash immediately. There will be no problems in storing the product if you roll the cakes into a tube, put them in a plastic bag and put them in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, pita bread is usually placed in the freezer. If the cakes get hard, you can always sprinkle them with water and they will soften.

Lavash snacks

We can use the finished dish in any way we like: both as bread and as a base for snacks. Let's take a look at some original snack recipes.

Roll with cheese and fish

For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

• lavash - 3 pieces;
• saury canned in oil - 1 jar;
• processed cheese - 2 pieces;
• fresh tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• parsley or salad greens - 100 g;
• thick mayonnaise - 250 g.

Before wrapping the thin pita bread into a roll, prepare 3 fillings separately. For the first layer of filling, take processed cheese and grate it into a plate. Add chopped garlic and half of the mayonnaise indicated in the recipe and mix everything.

The second layer will be saury, which will need to be thoroughly crushed with a fork and mixed with the rest of the mayonnaise.

The third layer is given to crushed tomatoes mixed with chopped herbs. This time we won’t fill the filling with mayonnaise, because the tomatoes have enough of their own juice.

We lay out layers of filling on the straightened Armenian lavash, between which there is always a layer of lavash. Then we roll it up and let the ingredients brew properly. Let's put the dish in the refrigerator for a while, and then, before serving, cut it into small portions.

Lavash fillings with boiled meat or bacon are very popular; many recipes involve juicy tomatoes. You can wrap any traditional vegetable salads in pita bread, as well as champignons fried with onions.

Armenian lavash stuffed with herring

Here are the ingredients for the seemingly unusual filling:

• lightly salted herring fillet - 20 0g;
• hard cheese - 100 g;
• Korean carrots - 200 g;
• mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Cut the herring fillet into small slices and grate the cheese. Add spicy carrots to the mixture and season everything with mayonnaise. Place in pita bread and wrap in a roll.

This dish can be prepared differently if you use processed cheese and distribute the filling into layers. Unwrap the flatbread, generously grease it with cheese, and place the herring slices. Next, prepare the second layer. Place a second flatbread on top of the herring, grease it with cheese again and distribute the spicy carrots over the surface. On the third layer we place the remaining cheese and finely chopped herbs. Roll all the layers into one roll, cool and cut into portions.

Lavash stuffed with chicken

A very popular dish that you wouldn’t want to miss. Unlike many that are served in fast food eateries, it is much healthier, although it is in no way inferior to them in calorie content. For preparation we will need the following ingredients:

Cut the chicken fillet into pieces, add salt and pepper and fry until cooked. Chop the vegetables (cucumbers, peppers, dill and onions) with a knife, and tear the lettuce leaves with your hands. Then, in one bowl, mix all the ingredients together and season with mayonnaise. All that remains is to put the resulting mass on the flatbread and roll it into a roll. For 4 people, we will roll 4 pita breads.

• If we want to use pita bread as a base for rolls or shawarma, then only a yeast-free product will do for this purpose. Lavash baked with yeast dough breaks when folded.
• The flatbreads will turn out even tastier and thinner if you use a special oven for Armenian lavash.
• You can also use sweet foods, cottage cheese, berries and fruits as ingredients for the filling. Too juicy ingredients must be mixed with thick sauces (caramel, cheese, chocolate). Filling that is too liquid will leak.
• Sometimes the finished rolls are fried on both sides in butter.
• Before placing the pita bread in the refrigerator to soak the ingredients, the dish can be tightly packed in cling foil.
• The filling rarely reaches the very edge of the roll, so before serving, both ends are cut off with an oblique knife and sprinkled with herbs.

You can pamper your guests at the festive table with lavash rolls with a variety of fillings. Based on the experience of followers of such snacks, this dish becomes the hit of the evening and is the first thing to fly off the plates. Also, lavash rolls are indispensable at summer barbecue gatherings and are served as an appetizer to the main course. Bon appetit!

Lavash is unleavened dough that is baked in a frying pan and tastes like white bread. It is used to make puff pastries, rolls, shawarma and even Napoleon cake. Or you can simply prepare delicious pita bread with cheese and mushrooms or use it as bread. If such a dish is a curiosity for you and you have no idea how to prepare it at home, we will reveal for you all the secrets of real Armenian lavash.

How to cook pita bread - basic cooking principles

• Thin lavash (Armenian) is baked in a very thin layer and looks like paper. It is prepared using unleavened dough without yeast or raising agents.
• Lavash is also baked in the form of flatbreads, but its recipe includes yeast and any fermented milk products. In the traditional version, such lavash is prepared in a tandoor (a type of fire oven), but modern kitchen utensils are successfully used instead.
• The key to delicious lavash is excellent flour. It must be of the highest quality and double sifted. It is pre-mixed with water (kefir) and salt.
• Unleavened dough is always left for 20 minutes after kneading to make it more elastic. The yeast dough is kept for about an hour in a warm place so that its volume increases.
• The consistency of the unleavened dough should be very dense. Since the bread is baked in a thin layer, it needs to be rolled out, and this is only possible if the dough is stiff. And yeast dough is made softer and more porous so that the yeast can rise.

How to cook Armenian lavash

This pita bread requires three simple ingredients that you always have on hand.

List of ingredients:

• Flour - 400 g.
• Salt - 2/3 tsp.
• Water (whey) - 225 g.

In addition, you need to prepare a mixer with spiral-shaped attachments.

Cooking steps:

• Boil water, dissolve salt in it and let it cool slightly (maximum 5 minutes).
• Take a deep bowl, pour pre-sifted flour into it and make a small funnel in it.
• Now pour hot water into the dough and use a mixer to knead the dough. Kneading time: 5-7 minutes. Then put the mixer aside and knead the dough with your hands for another 2 minutes.
• Form a ball of dough and wrap it in cling film. After 20 minutes, the gluten will swell and the dough will become soft.
• Next, divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each of them into a thin layer.
• Heat a frying pan and fry the tortillas on both sides.
• Place the pita bread on a wet kitchen towel and cover it on top to prevent it from drying out and breaking.

How to cook Georgian lavash

This lavash differs from the Armenian one in the porous structure of the crumb, light saltiness and delicate aroma of yeast.

Grocery list:

• Flour - 0.3 kg.
• Water - 0.2 l.
• Yeast (dry) - 1 tsp.
• Salt and sugar - 1 tsp each.

How to cook:

• Combine the sifted flour and dry ingredients and mix.
• Make a hole in the flour and pour warm water into it (the temperature should not be higher than 45⁰C).
• Knead a soft and not too sticky dough, leave it for 1 hour in a warm place.
• Form the dough into small balls.
• Using your hands, form each bun into a flat cake.
• Place the flatbreads on a greased baking sheet and use your finger to make a depression in the middle of each piece.
• Preheat the oven and place a baking sheet there. Bake the lavash until cooked at a temperature of 220⁰C.
• Remove the pita bread from the oven and cover with a towel until cool. This will prevent a thick crust from forming.

Lavash can be an excellent alternative to bread, and its shelf life can be up to 6 days. Bon appetit!

Who among us will refuse thin and fragrant Armenian bread? Lavash has long gained its popularity among many people.
These delicious flatbreads can be eaten as a dish on their own, or served instead of bread, or made into delicious rolls, shawarma, casseroles, and even sweet pastries.
And although in any store you can find a large assortment of different pita breads, you can also prepare it at home. Armenian thin lavash baked according to this recipe turns out tasty, soft and aromatic.
Young mothers whose children love shawarma will love making this kind of lavash. Vegetable salad, fried pieces of chicken or pork, tomato sauce or mayonnaise - and now your baby enjoys a delicious dish without harm to his health.
Lavash is great for kebabs and grilled meat. Thin flatbreads, pieces of golden meat, fresh herbs, onions, tomatoes and red peppers - such a picnic will become a masterpiece of culinary art.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of flour;
• 1 glass of water;
• 2 tbsp. olive oil;
• 2 tsp dry yeast;
• 1 tsp Sahara;
• 1 tsp salt.

How to cook thin Armenian lavash

Pour a glass of warm water into a large bowl, add sugar and yeast.


Add salt, vegetable oil and flour to the dough.




Beat the dough thoroughly with your hands and leave for 15-20 minutes.


Once the dough has increased slightly in size, divide it into 14-16 pieces.

Roll each part into a thin (up to 2 mm) layer.


Fry Armenian lavash in a dry frying pan on each side for about 15 seconds.




Adviсe:
1. To keep the pita bread soft, cover it with a damp towel. Once the tortillas have cooled, place them in a plastic bag.
2. To speed up the process of preparing pita bread (especially if you are making several servings at once), fry the flatbreads in two pans at once.
3. If you need a large pita bread for making a roll or casserole, you can cook it in the oven.
4. Dry yeast can be replaced with fresh yeast. This recipe requires 20 grams of live yeast.
5. To make Armenian lavash more tender, put butter in the dough instead of vegetable oil.


On a note.

Not a single meal is complete without bread. Moreover, for each nationality, this general name means a certain type of baked goods.

Rolls, loaves, baguettes... The list is endless! There are dozens of flatbreads alone.

Lavash is also a flatbread. It is popular in the Caucasus, Iran, and some Asian countries, but it is the Armenians who consider it their national dish.

Real lavash is baked in a tandoor - a special clay oven installed outside. The dough for lavash is unleavened, mixed from a minimum set of ingredients. That is why in inept hands such flatbreads can turn out thick, hard and at the same time unbaked.

Real craftsmen bake lavash. They roll out the elastic dough so thin that it shows through. Then, masterfully throwing it from hand to hand, in one movement they stick this thin juice to the wall of the tandoor. A few seconds - and the lavash is ready!

Properly baked pita bread should be soft, with an unevenly swollen surface covered with crispy spots. The lavash hardens almost instantly when exposed to air. Thanks to this quality, it can be harvested for future use. To do this, fold it in a stack and store it in a dry, well-ventilated place.

If the pita bread is going to be served for lunch, immediately after baking it is sprinkled with water and covered with a towel. After a few minutes it becomes soft and pliable, like a pancake. And then you can roll it in four, into a tube, and serve it with any filling, making a kind of sandwich.

You can also cook pita bread on a regular stove. But to do this, you need to strictly follow the recommendations that experienced lavash baking masters generously share with everyone.

Lavash at home: subtleties of preparation

• The dough for pita bread is kneaded in hot water. It turns out to be brewed, so during baking it rises well - swells with bubbles.
• The juice for pita bread is rolled out very thin - the table should be clearly visible through it. To make the pita bread even, cut out a circle from the dough using a lid or plate. Its diameter should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the frying pan.
• The rise of the dough during baking also depends on the heat of the pan. In an insufficiently hot frying pan, the pita bread will turn out pale and flat. This means that even such a thin layer of dough may not be baked. If you fry pita bread over high heat, it will burn.
• Lavash is fried in a dry frying pan without oil. Therefore, you need to take a frying pan with a thick bottom, such as cast iron or non-stick.
• Lavash bakes very quickly. Literally after 15-30 seconds, the underside of the pita bread is covered with delicious light brown spots. The flatbread should not be overheated, otherwise it will harden.
• To prevent the pita bread from drying out, spray it with cold water from a spray bottle or lubricate it with a brush. Then cover with a damp towel.

Thin Armenian lavash: method 1

Ingredients:

• flour – 350 g;
• water – 200 ml;
• salt – 1/2 tsp;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l.

Cooking method

• Place the sifted flour in a bowl and make a well in the center.
• Dissolve salt in a glass of water heated to 50-60°. While stirring, pour the liquid into the flour. Add oil.
• Mix the dough first with a spoon, and when the flour has absorbed all the liquid, start kneading with your hands. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and continue kneading for another 5 minutes. Your dough will become very pliable and will not stick to your hands at all.
• Place the dough in a bag or cover with cling film. Leave for half an hour.
• Place the rested dough back on the table. Give it the shape of a thick sausage. Divide into 9-12 equal parts. The size of the pieces will depend on the diameter of your pan.
• Take one piece and cover the rest with a towel so that they do not dry out. Shape the dough into a thick cake. Place on a lightly floured table and start rolling out with a rolling pin into a thin piece, the thickness of which should not exceed 2 mm.
• Roll out all the dough in this way. Since lavash bakes very quickly, all the juices must be rolled out in advance. Also prepare a cutting board on which you will place the finished pita bread, and a slightly damp towel.
• Place a clean, dry frying pan on the fire. When it is well heated, reduce the heat to medium. Place in a frying pan. Literally before our eyes it will begin to swell. Lightly hold back its “rush” with a spatula, since the appearance of one large bubble should not be included in your plans.
• When the bottom side is lightly toasted, carefully flip the pita bread over to the other side. Place the finished flatbread on a board, sprinkle with water, and cover with a towel. Bake the rest of the pita bread, stacking it on top of each other. Don’t forget to sprinkle each subsequent cake with water.

Thin Armenian lavash: method 2

Ingredients:

• flour – 3 tbsp;
• water – 250 ml;
• salt – 0.5 tsp.

Cooking method:

The principle of making lavash is the same as in the first recipe, but the dough for these flatbreads is kneaded without adding oil.

• Pour flour into a bowl. Make a crater-shaped hole in the middle.
• Dissolve salt in hot water.
• Constantly stirring the flour with a spoon, slowly pour in the water.
• When all the liquid has combined with the flour, start kneading the dough with your hands. At first it will be very viscous and sticky, but gradually it will turn into one pliable lump and will stop sticking to your hands.
• Place it back in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave for half an hour.
• After this exposure, the dough will be easy to work with. Divide it into several pieces the size of a chicken egg.
• Take one piece of dough and shape it into a thick round cake. Place it on a floured table and start rolling it out with a rolling pin. You need to make it very thin, no thicker than 2 mm, very round.
• Place the future pita bread on a dry, well-heated frying pan. Almost immediately it will begin to become covered in bubbles. After a few seconds, the underside will be covered with crispy light brown spots. Immediately turn the pita bread over to the other side.
• Place the finished pita bread on a plate or board, sprinkle with water, and cover with a towel.

Yeast dough lavash

Ingredients:

• flour – 3 tbsp;
• water – 250 ml;
• salt – 1/2 tsp;
• dry yeast – 1 tsp;
• sugar – 1 tsp.

Cooking method:

Lavash made from yeast dough is not as thin as that made from unleavened dough. It is difficult to roll into a tube, so it is not suitable as a base for filling. Serve it as an independent dish instead of bread.

• Place flour in a bowl and make a well in it.
• Stir salt, sugar and yeast in warm water. The water should not be hot, otherwise the yeast will lose its ability to rise.
• Gradually add this liquid into the flour, stirring the dough with a spoon.
• When there is no water left, continue kneading with your hands. You should have a soft dough. Cover it with a towel and leave to rise for one hour.
• Divide it into several koloboks. From this amount of dough you should get 10-12 pieces.
• Form each piece into a thick flat cake, which you then roll out into a thin round just the size of your pan.
• Place a dry frying pan on the fire and heat it well. Reduce heat to medium as high heat will burn the cake. Place the juice in the pan.
• Almost immediately it will begin to bubble, and the underside will be covered with light brown spots. Turn the juice over to the other side and cook for a few more seconds.
• Place the pita bread on a board or dish and cover with a slightly damp towel.
  Using the same recipe, cook pita bread in the oven. But you need to take a little less flour, since tight dough does not rise well in the oven. Before putting the future pita bread in the oven, let it rise a little on a baking sheet lightly sprinkled with flour. The temperature in the oven should be approximately 220°. Continue baking until the flatbread is covered with a light crust.

Note to the hostess

Any pita bread can be served with broth, soup, meat or vegetable dishes, and even tea. And wrap a variety of fillings in thin pita bread, making a delicious roll.

I haven't met it yet. Thin pita bread I have already prepared with the addition of yeast, this option is even simpler: flour, water, salt! I don’t know how long it can be stored and for how long, because I only made 7 pieces. for dinner (and then I only fried 4, the rest of the dough is in the refrigerator until tomorrow), because unexpectedly the family wanted shawarma 🙂

So, a recipe for Armenian lavash at home!

Recipe: (for 7 pita breads the size of a frying pan, diameter 28-30 cm)

1. Flour – 300 gr.
2. Hot water (boiling water, cooled for 3-4 minutes) - 150-170 ml.
3. Salt – 0.5 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Pour flour into a bowl and make a well
2. Dissolve salt in very hot water (not warm, but scalding hot water) and pour a little at a time into the flour.
   
3. Stir constantly with a mixer. *It will seem like a lot of flour, but give yourself time to knead
4. After pouring in all the water, place the dough on the table and start kneading.
   
5. In a couple of minutes we get a bun *Pockmarked all over
   
6. We put it under the film and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. After half an hour it will become soft and smooth
   
7. Divide the dough into 7 parts
   
8. Roll each part into a thin transparent cake 1-2 mm thick. and slightly larger than a frying pan *Dust the rolling pin and flatbread with flour to make it easier to roll
   

Frying: *No oil! Everything in a dry frying pan!

1. Heat up the frying pan on medium heat*It is very important to catch the temperature here. If the fire is too strong, then the cakes will burn instantly, if it is weak, then there will be no bubbles, so most likely the first cake may not turn out beautiful))) The first pancake is lumpy.
2. We lay out the cake and if the temperature is good, then after 30 seconds it begins to bubble and grow. *On the first flatbread, adjust the heat
   
3. We fry all the lavashiki this way. They will all be in bubbles :)
   
4. Place on a damp towel and fry the next one. Fold in a stack sandwiched with a damp towel *Towel-lavash-towel-lavash
   
5. By the time you finish frying the last one, the first ones are ready for rolling!

The example of shawarma shows that they do not break. They turn out very tasty and most importantly fresh! By the way, get ready