Lavash Armenian
“A large, paper-thin flatbread of flour, water and salt, traditionally stretched over a cushion and slapped onto the searing wall of a tonir clay oven, where it bakes in under a minute. Eaten fresh and pliable to wrap meats and herbs, or dried for storage and revived with water. Inscribed by UNESCO as Armenian cultural heritage.”
Where it comes from
A thin flatbread of West Asia and the South Caucasus central to Armenian life; Armenia's tradition of making lavash was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.
On the plate
Fresh lavash is soft, supple and faintly chewy, with blistered, lightly toasted spots that taste of clean wheat and woodsmoke. It is a near-neutral, tender wrapper that lets fillings shine, tearing easily and folding without cracking.
How it works
Rolling the dough ultra-thin and baking at extreme heat for seconds flash-cooks it, setting the structure before moisture fully escapes so it stays pliable. Resting the dough relaxes the gluten so it can be stretched without tearing.
Variations
Leavened or unleavened, baked in a tonir or on a saj, dried for storage and rehydrated, used to wrap khorovats or cheese and herbs
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓40 min active · 90 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 112 min
Knead a stiff dough from flour, water and salt until smooth and elastic.
- 260 min
Cover and let the dough rest and relax for at least one hour.
- 315 min
Divide into balls and let them rest again briefly.
- 48 min
Roll each ball out as thin as possible into a large oval or rectangle.
- 55 min
Optionally stretch the sheet further over the backs of the hands until translucent.
- 61 min
Bake against the wall of a very hot tonir, or on a preheated saj/cast-iron pan, for under a minute.
- 71 min
Pull off as soon as bubbles brown, before it dries out, for soft fresh lavash.
- 85 min
Stack and cover to keep pliable, or dry fully for long storage.
