Sourdough Lavash

Sourdough Lavash is the second favorite recipe of my kids after pizza. It can be made plain, but to give it additional boost of flavor you can also fill it with any kind of cheese. The dough is super easy to work with and can be mixed by hands.

Below you’ll find all the instructions.

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter

(4-6 hours before dough making)

• 20g sourdough starter
• 40g water
• 35g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Main Dough 

• 60g sourdough starter (20%)
• 300g bread flour (100%)
• 186g water (62%)
• 6g salt (2%)
• mozzarella cheese for filling (or any cheese of your choise)

Directions 

Starter preparation step.

4-6 hours before:

• 8 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 72-76F for 4-6 hours until it reaches the peak, it should at least double (starter isn’t strong enough), or triple in size(strong starter).

Lavash dough preparation steps.

• 2 pm mix water and sourdough starter with flour, cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse (during the autolyse stage flour absorbs water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development).
• 3 pm add salt,mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 2-3 min until well incorporated.

Note: All mixing can be done by hand. Use rubaud method to incorporate the ingredients. Do couple stops in between mixing, it will help gluten development, then continue mixing.

Total mixing time will take about 15 min with stops. Dough should become smooth, and less sticky.

• Leave the dough to rest 30 minutes at 74-78F /23-26C.
• 3.30 pm wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
• 4.15 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 5.00 pm 3rd stretch and fold.
• 5.45 pm 4th stretch and fold.
• Performing stretches and folds will help to continue gluten development.
• After the final stretch let the dough rest for 15 minutes. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 40%-50% rise.
• Oil the container with olive oil, transfer the dough into the container, close the lid. 
• Put the container in the fridge for cold retard (12-48 hours).

Note: if for some reason the dough didn’t rise enough, add one more stretch and fold.

If the dough seems too proofed, you can shorten the time in between stretches and folds.

Preshaping lavash dough.

• Remove dough from the fridge.
• Dump it on to unfloured table, divide in 2 pieces, round them with a bench knife.
• Let rest uncovered for 30 min.
• Prepare baking tray, generously sprinkled with flour.
• Round lavash balls again. Transfer them to a floured baking tray, cover with plastic. Move to a warm spot in your kitchen to proof for 1 hour and 30 min. 

Note: warm spot in my kitchen during fall or winter time Is an oven with light on.

It creates perfect 74-78F /23-26C for proofing

Baking

Instructions for baking in home oven:

• While the dough is proofing start to preheat your oven with baking stone inside to 500F for 1 hour. 
• Shape your lavash generously sprinkled with semolina flour.
• Put your favorite cheese inside fold lavash in half and pinch edges.
• Bake for 10-15 min until crust is golden brown.
• Put more cheese on top and let lavash bake for 1 extra minute, until cheese will melt.
• Let rest 10 min before eating.

Instructions for baking in Gozney oven:

• While the dough is proofing start to preheat your oven on the highest temp for 30 min.
• Shape your lavash generously sprinkled with semolina flour.
• Put your favorite cheese inside fold lavash in half and pinch edges.
• Slide lavash into the oven, let it bake untouched for 15-20 sec, start rotating lavash every 5 seconds until all sides bake evenly.
• Turn the fire off, add more cheese on top and let lavash bake for 30-50 more seconds , until all the cheese melts.
• Let it rest for 10 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

Sourdough Lavash

1263kcal

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Prep 35 minutes mins

Cook 15 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 16 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Total 17 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Lavash is a wonderfully versatile Middle Eastern flatbread that makes an incredible alternative to pizza or pita. It can be baked completely plain, but to give it an exceptional boost of flavor, it is traditionally stuffed with a generous pocket of shredded mozzarella cheese before being baked to golden, bubbly perfection.

Servings 2 flatbreads

Cuisine Armenian / Middle Eastern Flatbread

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Sourdough Starter Levain (4–6 Hours Before)

• ▢ 20 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 40 g Water
• ▢ 35 g All-purpose flour (or bread flour)
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

The Pliable Flatbread Main Dough

• ▢ 300 g Bread flour (100%)
• ▢ 186 g Water (62%)
• ▢ 60 g Active sourdough starter levain (20% – At its peak)
• ▢ 6 g Salt (2%)

The Gooey Bakery Fillings & Toppings

• ▢ Shredded mozzarella cheese (Amount to taste, or any meltable cheese of your choice)
• ▢ Semolina flour (Reserved strictly for dusting the workspace)

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Mixing Bowl (Or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook)
• ▢
  Baking Tray
• ▢
  Baking Stone or heavy baking steel
• ▢
  Pizza Peel (Optional, for sliding into a hot oven)
• ▢
  Plastic Wrap or an airtight dough container
• ▢
  Bench Knife or dough scraper
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Starter Preparation & The Autolyse Rest

1. 8:00 AM: In a clean glass jar, dissolve your 20g of starter culture into 40g of water. Whisk cleanly, then stir in 35g of all-purpose flour and 5g of rye flour. Mix thoroughly, cover loosely, and let it ferment at room temperature 72–76°F (22–24°C) for 4 to 6 hours until it doubles or triples in size.
2. 2:00 PM – The Autolyse: In a large bowl, whisk the 186g of water and 60g of your active starter peak together. Add all 300g of bread flour and stir until a rough, shaggy mass builds with no dry flour remaining. Cover and let autolyse undisturbed for 1 hour to kickstart natural gluten mapping.
3. 3:00 PM: Sprinkle the 6g of salt evenly over the surface. Mix on the low speed of your machine for 2 to 3 minutes (or on speed 3 if using a KitchenAid mixer) until completely incorporated.
4. Alternatively, mix by hand: Use the classic Rubaud method to scoop and slap the wet dough, incorporating the salt evenly. Perform a few 2-minute rests between hand mixes to assist gluten binding. Total hand mixing takes roughly 15 minutes until the dough turns smooth and significantly less sticky. Let rest covered for 30 minutes at 74–78°F (23–26°C).

Layered Bulk Folds & Cold Retard

1. 5. 3:30 PM: Wet your hands with a bit of water and perform your 1st stretch and fold. Pull the edges of the dough up high and fold them cleanly over the center to build structure. Rest covered for 45 minutes.
2. 6. 4:15 PM: Perform your 2nd stretch and fold. Rest 45 minutes.
3. 7. 5:00 PM: Perform your 3rd stretch and fold. Rest 45 minutes.
4. 8. 5:45 PM: Perform your 4th stretch and fold. Let the dough sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. Look for visible air bubbles forming on the skin, a lighter texture, and a 40% to 50% rise in total volume.
5. 9. Lightly coat a container with olive oil, transfer the dough inside, and seal the lid tightly. Move the container into your refrigerator to cold-ferment for anywhere from 12 to 48 hours.

Preshaping, Final Warm Proofing, and Staged Hot Baking

1. 10. Remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and dump it cleanly onto an unfloured work surface.
2. 11. Divide the mass into 2 equal pieces using a bench knife and round each piece into a tight ball. Let them rest uncovered on your counter for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
3. 12. Generously sprinkle a baking tray with flour. Give the rested lavash balls a quick secondary rounding reshape, transfer them onto the floured tray, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Move the tray to a warm spot in your kitchen—like an oven with the interior light turned on to create a perfect 74–78°F (23–26°C) proofing box—and let rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
4. 13. While the dough balls finish their final warm proof, position a heavy baking stone inside your oven and preheat thoroughly to 500°F (260°C) for a full hour. (If you are using an outdoor Gozney oven, fire it up to its maximum heat setting for 30 minutes instead).
5. 14. Dust your workspace generously with semolina flour. Take one puffed dough ball and flatten/roll it out into a large, thin sheet.
6. 15. The Cheese Stuffed Fold: Pile a generous mound of shredded mozzarella cheese across one half of the thin dough sheet. Fold the bare half cleanly over the cheese to create a semi-circle pocket, and press the edges together firmly to seal the cheese inside.
7. 16. Baking in a Home Oven: Slide the stuffed flatbread directly onto your screaming hot baking stone. Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust turns a rich golden brown. Pull the tray out briefly, top with another handful of cheese, and bake for 1 extra minute until melted. Let rest 10 minutes before eating!
8. 17. Baking in an Outdoor Gozney Oven: Slide your stuffed lavash directly onto the stone floor. Let it sit completely untouched for 15 to 20 seconds, then begin rotating the flatbread every 5 seconds using a turning peel for a uniform, charred bake. Shut the fire off entirely, scatter an extra handful of cheese across the top, and leave it inside the cooling chamber for 30 to 50 seconds until melted. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1263kcalCarbohydrates252gProtein44gFat6gSaturated Fat1gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat0.5gCholesterol9mgSodium440mgPotassium444mgFiber9gSugar1gVitamin A14IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium68mgIron5mg

Notes

• Correcting Overproofed Dough on the Fly: Keep a close eye on your bulk rise timeline during steps 5 through 8. If your kitchen runs warm and the dough expands too aggressively, do not hesitate to shorten the rest intervals between your structural folds to 30 minutes. If the dough seems under-proofed and fails to show air bubbles by step 8, simply add a 5th stretch-and-fold round to secure the necessary structural volume.
• Why the Light-On Oven Trick is Essential: During the colder fall or winter months, home kitchens often drop below the ideal fermentation temperature range. Leaving your dough to proof on a cold counter can stall yeast activity entirely. Placing your covered tray inside an unheated oven with just the internal appliance light turned on creates a perfectly insulated, warm micro-climate of 74–78°F (23–26°C) that keeps your proofing timeline right on track.
• Securing an Authentic Non-Sticky Crumb: Beginners are sometimes tempted to continuously dust raw flour onto their counter during the initial mixing and rounding phases. For lavash, doing this will dry out the dough, resulting in a tough and heavy flatbread. Keep your workspace completely bare until the final shaping stage—the 12-hour cold fridge stay will naturally solidify the dough into a firm, pleasant, non-sticky consistency that handles beautifully.
• Preventing Cheese Blowouts in the Fire: When executing step 15, ensure that you pinch and crimp the folded outer edges of your dough pocket exceptionally firmly. As the stuffed cheese melts under the intense 500°F heat, it generates trapped steam. If the seams are weak, the steam will blow the flatbread open, causing your cheese to leak out onto your hot baking stone and burn.

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