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Lavash (Armenian Flatbread)

Lavash (Armenian Flatbread)

146kcal
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Prep 15 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Total 1 hour 5 minutes
Lavash is a traditional thin, unleavened, Armenian flatbread made in a tandoor oven, popular across the Middle East. It can be compared with Mexican tortillas, but it needs to be rolled a lot thinner and wider in diameter—so thin that it resembles "edible paper." It is perfect as a wrap or as a great addition to a barbecue or shish kebab.
Servings 10 Flatbreads
Cuisine Armenian

Ingredients

The Main Dough
  • 350 g Bread flour
  • 225 g Hot boiling water
  • 20 g Olive oil
  • 7 g Salt

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • Large Skillet, Baking Pan, or Outdoor Grill Big enough to fit the wide flatbread
  • Water Spritzer / Spray Bottle
  • Kitchen Scale
  • Clean Kitchen Towels

Method

Boiling Water Integration & Hydration Rest
  1. In a large heatproof mixing bowl, combine the 350g of bread flour and 7g of salt. Pour the 225g of hot boiling water and 20g of olive oil directly over the dry ingredients.
  2. Stir with a sturdy spoon or knead carefully by hand for 3 to 5 minutes just until the dry flour pockets vanish and the dough comes together into a cohesive mass. Note: The dough does not have to be perfectly smooth or elastic at this point.
  3. Cover the bowl tightly and let the dough rest undisturbed for 30 minutes. During this time, the flour particles will thoroughly absorb the hot water, fully hydrating the starches and naturally smoothing out the gluten structure.
Precision Rolling & Paper-Thin Stretching
  1. Tip the relaxed dough out onto your workspace. Using a bench scraper and kitchen scale, divide the dough into uniform pieces weighing exactly 60g each.
  2. Round each piece into a neat ball, cover them with a clean towel, and let them rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten lines before rolling.
  3. Generously sprinkle your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll it out systematically from the center outward, turning it frequently.
  4. Continue rolling until the dough is as thin as humanly possible—it must reach a translucent point where you can distinctly see the outline of your hands through it. The final sheet diameter should reach roughly 20 inches (50 cm), or slightly smaller to fit your cooking surface.
Flash Baking & Moisture Locking
  1. Preheat your outdoor grill, a large flat griddle, or a massive inverted baking sheet pan in your oven to a blistering 500°F (260°C).
  2. Carefully drape the paper-thin sheet of dough over the hot surface. Bake or grill for a brief 15 to 20 seconds, flip it over immediately using tongs, and cook for another 15 to 20 seconds on the opposite side. It should bubble up rapidly and develop light charred spots without drying out into a cracker.
  3. Remove the hot flatbread from the heat source. Immediately spray both sides lightly with a water spritzer bottle, stack it onto a plate, and cover the pile completely with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat for the remaining dough balls, stacking them together for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the trapped steam to soften the bread into a perfectly pliable wrap.

Nutrition

Calories146kcalCarbohydrates25gProtein5gFat3gSaturated Fat0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat0.5gMonounsaturated Fat2gCholesterol1mgSodium51mgPotassium45mgFiber1gSugar0.1gVitamin A2IUVitamin C0.03mgCalcium7mgIron0.3mg

Notes

  • The Science of Boiling Water Doughs: Utilizing hot boiling water directly in the initial dough build serves a vital structural role. The extreme heat instantly gelatinizes a portion of the starches in the bread flour, degrading its elastic resistance. This structural shift allows you to roll the dough out to an incredibly thin, 20-inch translucent diameter without it snapping back or tearing like a standard cold-water bread dough.
  • The Non-Negotiable Wet Towel Treatment: Freshly baked lavash comes off the high heat looking stiff, brittle, and dry. Do not panic; this is normal. Spritzing each sheet with water and stacking them under a damp towel creates a sealed steam environment. The starch matrix absorbs this ambient moisture, transforming the brittle sheets into incredibly soft, completely pliable wraps within 10 minutes.
  • Long-Term Storage and Rehydration Tricks: Pliable lavash can be stored in an airtight plastic zip-top bag for up to 5 days on your counter. If any flatbreads are exposed to air and dry out into crisp, hard crackers, you can easily revive them. Simply spray the hard sheets generously with fresh water, wrap them back up in a clean cloth towel for 10 minutes, and they will become perfectly soft and rollable again.
  • Adapting for Sourdough Culturing: If you prefer to make a fermented version, you can explore a Sourdough Lavash method. You will swap a portion of the flour and water for an active wild yeast levain. Keep in mind that a cultured version will require a room-temperature bulk fermentation window of 4 to 5 hours to allow the organic acids to develop before shaping and flash-cooking.

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