Cracker Bread-Part
Cracker bread rolls yeast-risen dough into thin 10-inch rounds topped with sesame seeds and bakes them crisp and shatter-crunchy. Homemade flatbread cracker for dips, spreads, and soup.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsThis cracker bread (often called lavash or Armenian flatbread) is the homemade answer to the thick sleeves of Middle Eastern cracker bread sold in delis. The dough is a simple yeasted base (flour, water, butter, salt, yeast) that rises once, gets divided into ten portions, and is rolled paper-thin before baking.
The thinness is the whole game. Roll too thick and you get flatbread, still good but missing the shatter-crisp texture that makes these snap under pressure. The 10-inch rounds should be nearly translucent when held up to light, with sesame seeds pressed into a brushed water coating so they stick through the bake.
Fork-pricking the surface before baking prevents steam pockets from blistering the rounds into balloons. A full 25 minutes in a moderate oven is enough to dry the dough completely, leaving crisp sheets that keep in an airtight tin for weeks. Break into shards and serve with hummus, baba ganoush, or a bowl of lentil soup.
Chef Tips
- Roll only what the oven can hold at one time. Chill remaining dough portions to slow the rise while you wait.
- Let the dough rest 10 minutes after shaping balls. Rested dough rolls thinner without fighting back.
- Prick the entire surface with a fork. Even small unpricked spots balloon up in the oven.
- Brush with cold water (not warm) before sesame seeds. Cold water holds seeds in place without starting the cook.
- Store cooled cracker bread in an airtight container. Keep away from humidity, or the shards lose their crisp shatter.
Variations
- Swap sesame seeds for poppy seeds, nigella seeds, or a mix of all three.
- Sprinkle with flaky salt, za’atar, or everything-bagel seasoning before baking.
- Brush with olive oil instead of water for a richer, slightly softer cracker.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine 4 cups flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir well.
Gradually add water to flour mixture, stirring well.
Add butter; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended.
Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes).
Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down, and divide into 10 equal portions.
Shape each portion into a ball, and place on a lightly floured surface; let rest 10 minutes.
Roll each ball to a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface, rolling only enough to bake at one time.
Chill extra dough to slow down the rising process as you await oven space.
Place rolled rounds on lightly greased baking sheets.
Brush lightly with cold water, and sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds.
Prick entire surface with fork. Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
Remove from pans, and let cool on wire racks.
Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
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