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With its tantalizing aroma of garlic, sesame, and Asiago cheese, this Middle
Eastern flatbread may well be gone before you can even put it on the table.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat-free) at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons beaten egg (from 1 large egg)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese (3/4 oz)
Special equipment: a stand mixer
with dough hook attachment; 2 (17- by 12-inch) shallow baking pans
Preparation
Mix together flours, shortening, salt, and sugar in mixer using dough hook
attachment at medium speed until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and
egg and mix 5 minutes (dough will be very sticky). Scrape down side of bowl and
cover with plastic wrap, then let stand at warm room temperature at least 1 and
up to 4 hours.
Put oven racks in upper and lower
thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together butter (2 tablespoons)
and garlic. Lightly brush baking pans with additional melted butter.
Turn out dough onto a well-floured
surface and dust generously with flour, then divide dough into 2 equal portions.
Roll out 1 portion of dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly
10- by 7-inch rectangle. (Dough will be very soft.) Dust backs of your hands
with flour and slide them under dough. Working over 1 of the baking pans, gently
stretch dough as evenly as possible to fit into pan. Pull sides and corners of
dough to cover bottom of pan evenly. (Sides of dough may be slightly thicker
than center.) Repair any holes in dough by pinching and pressing dough together.
Repeat with second piece of dough and other baking pan.
Brush surface of dough lightly with
garlic butter (be careful not to tear the dough), then sprinkle evenly with
sesame seeds, lightly pressing to help them adhere. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake, switching position of baking
pans in oven and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until golden,
25 to 35 minutes total.
Cool lavash in pans on racks, about
15 minutes. (Lavash will crisp as it cools.) Break into pieces to serve.
Cooks' note:
Lavash can be cooled completely and kept in an airtight container at room
temperature 3 days.
Makes 2 (17- by 11-inch) loaves.
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