Lavash is a Turkish bread type that basically made with flour, water, and salt. In Turkey, it is mainly served with Kebabs in restaurants; however, we love to eat lavash bread with any dish too. It is also a very common bread type in other Turkic countries such as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. You can eat it either hot or cold. In both ways, it is my favorite bread type. And hopefully, after today it will be your favorite bread type too.
There are different types of Lavash bread in Turkey but two of them are the most common ones. The first type has a thin, crusty, and large round shape which cooks either in pit ovens or on the special large cast irons. The second one also has a thin but balloon shape that can cook mostly at restaurant’s stone ovens or on the regular stove by using a non-stick pan.
The balloon shape Lavash bread has fewer additional ingredients than the classic one and the cooking method is slightly different. Today, I am going to share with you the recipe of balloon shape Lavash bread.
The Story of Lavash
Lavash is the oldest Turkish bread type that is widely preferred in Turkey and other Turkic cultures for thousands of years. Lavash bread has found after the millstone was invented in the Neolithic period. Millstones are used for grinding wheat to make flour and they are still in use in villages of Turkey. The below photo is a great example to show how flour is produced by using millstones.
In Turkey, villagers make their flour in the summertime. First, they harvest wheat, and then they grind the wheat at the millstones to produce flour. The produced flour uses in the wintertime to make Lavash bread. This is the oldest routine to produce bread in Turkey.
Lavash bread is involved in UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List on behalf of Turkey in 2016. You can reach this information at https://bit.ly/2uIObUu. You can see UNESCO’s acceptance document for Lavash bread.
Lavash
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
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In a bowl, mix flour, dry yeast, sugar, salt and warm water and stir them well.
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After 10 minutes, melt the butter and then let it cool down aside and then stir it into the bowl and knead them well. Close the bowl top with a moisturized piece of cloth or towel and let dough rest about 40 minutes.
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After the dough rest, put some flour to counter surface and divide the dough to 6 equal pieces. Take the first piece of the dough you divide and roll it until it has 3-4 mm thickness (make very thin) and 18-20 cm radius with rolling pin. Apply the method to the remaining dough pieces.
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Preheat the oven 250 C (482 F). Grease the oven tray with a little olive oil and place the first 3 pieces of Lavash.
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Coat the tops of the dough disks with egg yolk and add the sesame seeds on top them. And then place the tray into the oven. Bake them about 10 minutes until the dough puff up high and began to change its color to light brownish.
Recipe Notes
Tip: If you have time, make them one by one and place the dough to the center of the tray to have best baking result.
Thanks for answering every query I had about balloon bread. I love it. It’s part of my experience when I go to Turkey. Do you have a recipe for the red spicy dip? Not the fishy hot one.
Thanks
Dear Sarah;
You are most welcome. For the dip suggestion that you ask for; I would go with “Spicy Ezme“. You can manage the hotness of it by choosing the right pepper type. If you use Mexican cayenne pepper flakes, it may taste way hot. However, if you use Jalapeño pepper flakes, you will get the mildest hot taste at your dip. I hope my answer helps.
The original lavash bread was made in Armenia we can all accept that but i do accept that many neighbouring countries have their “own type” of lavash like Turkey and Iran much love to the kind turkish people from armenia
There is no specific evidence of where the first “lavash” bread has been invented Arthur. From your perspective; it can be Armenia. From my perspective; if it came from other Turkic nations, it has to come from the far east. Because it is where Turkic people came from about 4000 years ago. This makes me think that our Turkic ancestors have brought “lavash” bread to these lands. On the other hand; according to my Iranian friends, it was in their culture for ages. And let’s don’t forget that Mexicans have their own bread which is called “tortilla”. A flatbread that looks like a flat “lavash” bread. At the end, whoever brought this magnificent “lavash” bread to these lands, I only thank her/him.
Do these sink straight away?
Hi Ted; no they do not sink right away?😊
They didn’t rise for some reason
I didn’t understand why they don’t. This is the only method that we make for balloon lavash. If it didn’t rise then it became classic lavash.
Do you use plain flour or bread flour as just says ‘flour’?
Thanks
It is plain flour. ☺
Lavash is definitely Armenian, sir
I think there are no laser-cut differences between the regional lavash recipes. Each country in the region like Iran or Azerbaijan have its own “lavash” alike recipe too. It is so normal to have Armenia has their own “lavash” alike recipe. I gave the Turkish way of lavash recipe here. I hope you like it 😎👍
I would suggest nearly every culture has a version of ‘lavash’ Chapati, pizza, lavas, tortilla blini, boxty- Whatever you want to call it, it is effectively a thin, flat dough; corn, wheat or potato; cooked quickly on a hot surface. I don’t think the Armenians or any other country can lay claim to it’s heritage.