Snacks

Tarragon + Black Pepper Lavash


Prep Time : 15 + 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 15 Minutes | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Fiddly but Easy

Hello my lovelies! Our snacking game is on point today. Lavash has been on my ‘to experiment’ list for ages. I’m so glad I gave it a go. Its a bit fiddly to stretch the pieces of dough out but it’s also very zen. It’s supposed to look a bit free form. The crackers themselves are so light and crisp and ethereal. Worth every second of fiddling. The active time is not even that long. There are a couple of resting periods making up most of the total time. These are more of your nibble on their own type cracker. Too delicate to dip. Perfect as part of a platter or on their own. You must make them. Absolutely must. I love the herby, slightly anise flavour of tarragon and it pairs perfectly with a hint of garlic, parmesan and black pepper.

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 measure the second bit of oil. 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 but it will make it much easier.

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. 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. The dough will be stubborn and shrink back a bit. Be persistent.

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. They will shrink a bit.

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..

 

Like this recipe? Pin for later or Print for right now:

 

Tarragon + Black Pepper Lavash


Prep Time : 15 + 15 mins | Cook Time : 15 mins | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Fiddly but Easy | Makes : 32 crackers

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.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 thoughts on “Tarragon + Black Pepper Lavash

  1. Great job Kearin! Just commenting to let you know that I think you are a brilliant baker. And I have invited you to pin on my baking board on pinterest. Keep up the good work and have a great day (:

  2. Crackers are on my hit list. 😊 I’ve been thinking of sitting down and Googling some ideas for a while… I literally have no idea how to approach the world of crackers, as yet. These look beautiful, though. I love their herby cheesiness! Looks like I’d ideally need to invest in cookie sheets. I don’t have any at the moment.

    In other news, I totally made a sourdough loaf this week which looked like a wholemeal one of these – https://goo.gl/images/V9cRaq – very tasty though! 😄

Comments are closed.