Tarragon + Black Pepper Lavash

Crisp delicate crackers flecked with aromatic tarragon and topped with cracked pepper and parmesan.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (160 grams) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (50 ml) light olive oil
•  1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (75 ml) water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 to 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
• black pepper

– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients – 

Equipment:

• Bowl
• Two medium cookie sheets

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and tarragon.

Mix the first measures of olive oil and water. Add to the dry ingredients.

Mix to form a dough with your hand. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting mix the second measures of oil and water. Add a smashed garlic clove to steep in the liquid.

Knead the dough lightly and return it to the bowl. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Knead the dough again. It should be smooth and elastic. Leave it in the bowl to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Now it’s time to start stretching. I tried this with baking paper on the cookie sheets but it was a major hassle. The paper buckles underneath and absorbs a bit of moisture and then tears. The crackers don’t stick to the trays when baking so do without it.

Flatten each piece and press it out until it starts to resist. By the time you have done all four the first one should have relaxed a bit.

Use a rolling pin to roll the pieces out as thin as you can. You won’t be able to get them all the way.

Transfer the rectangles to the baking sheets. We are putting two pieces on each sheet.

Using your hands ease each piece into a larger and larger rectangle. Each piece should get to a 12 by 7 inch rectangle.

If the dough resists too much then give it a couple of minutes to relax the gluten before continuing. The dough will be stubborn and shrink back a bit. Be persistent. When all four pieces are stretched to the very edges of the sheets brush them with the garlic infused oil.

Grind a little black pepper on each one and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Cut each rectangle into 8 squares. Or triangles. Be your own boss.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the crackers are golden and bubbly/misshapen.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve as an appetiser to impress your friends or just gobble them up as a snack. It’s hard to stop at one..

Cook’s Notes:

• Adjust the seasonings to your taste – experiment with herbs and spices to find your own favourite
• be patient as you are stretching – switch between the pieces of dough to give them a little rest between stretches.

 – While these crackers are best the day they are made they will keep for up to three days in an airtight container – 

Adapted from How to Make Bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou.

© 2017 The Winsome Baker. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.