How To Make Lavash Crackers?

SERVES 10 to 12 (VEG)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Popular in the eastern Mediterranean, traditional lavash is a little bit nutty and a little bit sweet and has a crisp and airy texture perfect for serving with dips. To get just the right flavor and texture, we used a combination of three flours: fine semolina flour, nutty whole-wheat flour, and all-purpose flour. To make the dough, we mixed the flours (and a little salt) in a stand mixer, then gradually added water and oil until the dough was smooth and elastic. Letting the dough rest for an hour made it much easier to roll out. Once the dough had rested, we rolled it out onto oiled baking sheets, pricked it all over with a fork to prevent air bubbles, brushed it with a beaten egg, and sprinkled it with sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Finally, we baked the crackers until deeply golden brown and let them cool before breaking the large sheets into crispy, crunchy crackers. We prefer the larger crystal size of sea salt or kosher salt here; if using table salt, reduce the amount of salt by half.

• 1½ cups (8⅝ ounces) semolina flour
• ¾ cup (4⅛ ounces) whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix semolina flour, wholewheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt together on low speed. Gradually add water and oil and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 7 to 9 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, brush with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat
   oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat two 18 by 13-inch rimless (or inverted) baking sheets with vegetable oil spray.
3. Working with 2 pieces of dough (keep remaining dough covered with plastic), press dough into small rectangles, then transfer to prepared sheets. Using rolling pin and hands, roll and stretch dough evenly to edges of sheet. Using fork, poke holes in doughs at 2-inch intervals. Brush doughs with beaten egg, then sprinkle each with 1½ teaspoons sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Press gently on seasonings to help them adhere.
4. Bake crackers until deeply golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Transfer crackers to wire rack and let cool completely. Let baking sheets cool completely before rolling out and baking remaining dough. Break cooled lavash into large crackers and serve. (Lavash can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

Making Lavash Crackers