Lavash Crackers with Dip - Daring Bakers

Natalie of Gluten A Go Go and co host Shel from Musings from the Fishbowl , both alternate daring bakers have set forth a challenge that makes us think about about both vegan diets and gluten free diets.


Our challenge is to recreate Lavash Crackers with a dip that's both vegan and gluten free. This challenge made me think about what living a vegan and/or gluten free diet would demand in terms of a learning curve for me. Having to think about what we really eat seems entirely fundamental to a healthy diet. The recipe for this month's Daring Bakers comes from the Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart.

Here's a simple formula for making snappy Armenian-style crackers, perfect for breadbaskets, company and kids...It is similar to the many other Middle Eastern and Northern African flatbreads known by different names, such as mankoush or mannaeesh (Lebanese), barbari (Iranian), khoubiz or khobz (Arabian), aiysh (Egyptian), kesret and mella (Tunisian), pide or pita (Turkish), and pideh (Armenian). The main difference between these breads is either how thick or thin the dough is rolled out, or the type of oven in which they are baked (or on which they are baked, as many of these breads are cooked on stones or red-hot pans with a convex surface).

The key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers


*1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).


4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour.

Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes.

Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.)


Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.


For the dip I made a Roasted Eggplant Dip

Ingredients

2 eggplants (medium size)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp Tahini
4 cloves chopped garlic (I used winter garlic which is much more pungent)
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp salt

1. Pierce eggplants with a fork and bake in 350 F oven on parchment paper until the eggplants are very soft (45 minutes - 1 hr) Test with fork to make sure it's soft
2. Let eggplant cool and then remove skins
3. In food processor, add eggplant, lemon juice, tahini paste, garlic, hot pepper sauce and salt. Mix until fully blended.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavours to marry.

Note: This dip is on the spicy side - reduce hot sauce and garlic if you don't like it spicy.

Baba's Honey Cake and Awards

Baba has always been known for her honey cake. She felt the need to bring something to each event and more often than not it was this cake. I'm probably her biggest fan since I'd rather have a plain cake that's flavourful than one that's heavily laden with creams and glazes. Prior to our blogging life, I wanted to capture all of baba's recipes to make sure they stayed in the family and got passed down to Psychgrad and Actor Boy and to their children (G-d only knows when that could happen). This one was indeed the first one I copied down as I watched her make it and I can now officially say that the honey cake has been passed down.

This cake is very traditional forRosh Hashana (New Year's). The honey is symbolic of a sweet life.


Ingredients:

3 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup corn or canola oil (I use Mazola)
3/4 c sugar
1 c buckwheat honey (plain honey works too)
3 c sifted flour
1/4 tsp cloves or cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tea bags steeped in 1 cup of boiling water

Method

1. Line 9x11 pan with parchment paper
2. Steep 2 tea bags in 1 cut of hot water. Add 1 cup of honey to dark tea. Add baking soda to liquids.
3. Whisk eggs, oil and sugar. Add honey mixture and stir well.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients until incorporated.


5. Pour into prepared pan and dress the top of the cake with almond halves - dark side up.



Dead simple recipe with a no fail result.

It's time to acknowledge some awards.

Many thanks to Ivy at Kopiaste for this wonderful award. I feel like Sally Field accepting the oscar :).

We'd like to pass this award on to the following:

Jude from Apple Pie, Patis and Pate always has something to teach me about both ethnic foods and technique.

Elly at Elly Says Opa Have you participated in Elly's Eat to the Beat event. It's a quarterly event combining food and music. It's really alot of fun and you still have until September 30th to get your entry in.

Ruth from Once Upon a Feast seems to have this tireless energy to bring us the weekly roundup of the finest pasta recipes. 81 Editions of the Presto Pasta Nights roundup is darned impressive, n'est ce pas?

Darius from Everyday Cooking says food is his life and his life is food. His passion for making sure he tries everything is ever present on his blog.

Dharm from Dad Baker and Chef is always a strong presence in our blogging world. He's always a wealth of information and who can resist the charm of someone who calls his wife "the lovely wife".

Rosie from Rosie Bakes a Piece of Cake has bestowed on us the I Love Your Blog award. Thank you Rosie - how special do we feel. Rosie is one half of the duo that brings us Sweet and Simple Bakes , a great place for bakers, rookie and seasoned to hone their skills with uncomplicated recipes. Do check it out.



The rules are as follow:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.So the ones that I am choosing are the ones that I read all of the time and have actually become “friends” with most of them.

In no specific order, here are our picks for this award:

Ivonne Cream Puffs in Venice has one of those "let me tease you with all the fabulous food I create" blogs. Then she drives me crazy by telling me she takes it to work to share with co-workers. What about your poor Toronto cousins?

Lori Lynn from Taste with the Eyes fulfills her blog name every time. The photography is amazing and the recipes -oh the recipes - if you could only see my del.icio.us file.

Jackie from Herbs 'n Oils really does her homework and shares not only fabulous recipes and ideas but also information that always makes me say "I never knew that".

Cakespy always has such interesting material on her blog, not to mention the cupcake art that I absolutely love. I feel like I'm on a road trip every time I visit the blog.

Smitten Kitchen's blog is just a wonderful place to hang out. I mean how did I ever cook anything before .. and what about them blueberry squares that half the world has now made.

Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy has one of those "would ya just look at the pictures" kind of presentations on her blog. Never mind that the recipes are amazing, you're already in heaven and ready to eat even before reading the ingredient list when you see the pix.

Nikki at Nik Snacks just cracks me up with her refreshing honesty. Her blog is such a constant source of entertainment - pay her a visit and get ready to laugh.

WE'VE BEEN TAGGED

Ivy has tagged us for a meme to identify “Six spectacular quirks about us”. Thank goodness you only want 6.

Rules of this tag are:

Link back to the person who tagged you.
Mention the rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Giz's Quirks:

1. I'm not great at admitting my quirkiness although I'm sure Psychgrad could give you a list as long as a roll of toilet paper. I think that could qualify as quirk #1.

Psychgrad's note: I protest - this is not a quirk.

2. I have a tendency to obsess. If something isn't working the way I expect it to, I can go on and on about it until it's right.
3. It is entirely not unheard of for me to decide to cook/bake when the rest of the normal world is already sleeping.

Psychgrad's Quirks

4. Growing up, I used to want to be a hairdresser. When going to the mall with my mom, she would drop me off at the salon to watch the hairdressers while she did her shopping. (Giz's comment - sure Psych - have people believe I abandoned you in some beauty salon) People would just assume that I was a customer's daughter.

5. I tend to get in trouble for asking too many questions. What can I say? I'm just a curious person.

6. I am knitting a touque, which is a common word used in Canada to describe a hat for winter. At this point I've restarted it 7 times. Lucky number 7...hopefully.

Whoever is interested in doing this tag, please post it on your blog and link back to us. I'm interested in everybody's quirks :).

Thank you Bunny from Bunny's Warm Oven for deeming us worthy of a Kickass Blogger Award. What a great superlative!

We'd like to share this award with a few of our FFF's (Fabulous Foodie Friends).

Deborah at Taste and Tell just turned the BIG 31 - can you imagine - geez Deb are your bones creaking yet? Her blog rocks and from one September baby to another - it's a great month isn't it?

The Biscuit Pusher always features the most wonderful spice in her baking. Everything looks yummy on her blog and I always feel like I'm having a treat when I visit. She even makes Mocha Mudslides - don't you just love that name.

Rikki from Diet,Dessert and Dogs makes me do research very often. Although we probably live 5 minutes apart, we're world's apart in ingredient knowledge. Boy have I got alot to learn.

Jasmine from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict has a wonderful blog that's both well written and diverse. You feel like Jasmine has been your friend for so long.

Ohio Mom from Cooking in Cleveland has claimed her fame through regional ingredients and just straight up good food. Her blog is always interesting to read.

Think Spice...Think Fenugreek...Think Sri Lankan Red Shrimp Curry

When Kittie announced that her choice for this month's Think Spice was Fenugreek, my first thought was, "fenu-wha?" I may have seen the word in a recipe now and then, but I wouldn't know fenugreek if it hit me in the face.

Not knowing where to start, I figured, I'll Google it and see if anything strikes my fancy. Lo and behold, I found a recipe for Sri Lankan Red Shrimp Curry.

This will only be my 2nd foray into Sri Lankan food. You can read about my first experience here. The stand out dish from the previous meal was the shrimp curry. So, I jumped on the chance to make this dish.

I started with a trip to my local spice store (I can't tell you how glad I am to have a store nearby that sells a wide range of spices and herbs). When I returned home, I realized that I didn't buy a critical ingredient, Rampe Leaf.

Rampe leaf


The information I found says, Also known as pandan leaf. Almost every kitchen garden in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand boasts a pandanus plant, the leaves of which are used in both savoury and sweet dishes. A strip of leaf about 10 cm (4 in) long is dropped into the pot each time rice is cooked, to perfume it. Two or three strips are simmered with curry.

At first I had no idea where to find this, but with a quick Google search, I found a store 5 minutes from my place. I didn't even know it was there. Or rather, I saw it and never knew what the store sold.

I was given the option of choosing fresh leaf or dried. I went with fresh. But, I wasn't sure exactly how to use it. So...I did what came naturally. I tied it in a knot and threw it in a pot with the rest of the ingredients. If you have experience with this plant and know how should be used, please feel free to let me know.

Sri Lankan Red Shrimp Curry
SERVES 6


* 750 g small raw prawns
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
* 1 small cinnamon stick
* 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
* 3-4 curry leaves
* 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised (or 2 strips of lemon rind)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups coconut milk
* 1 strip of daun pandan or rampe leaf
* good squeeze lemon juice

Directions

Wash prawns and remove heads but leave shells on (in Sri Lanka prawns are cooked with the shell on for better flavour).

Put all ingredients, except lemon juice, into a saucepan and bring slowly to simmering point.



Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until onions are soft.

Add lemon juice and stir. Taste and add more salt


Verdict: The dish was quite hot. I'm sure it would be easy to tone down with sweet paprika, rather than spicy. I followed the recipe quite closely and left the shells on the shrimp. But, I'd have to say that it wasn't the most appetizing that way. The issue is that you have to peel off the shells, which can be a problem when dealing with tumeric. You can read about my last experience with tumeric here.

Not unlike other curries I have made, I do not find that they actually have the same consistency and sweetness as curries I have tried in Thai or Indian restaurants. It was pretty good on the first night, but I wasn't very interested in it as leftovers. R enjoyed it, but found it not very filling.

One theory I have about the problem with my curry is the use of canned coconut milk. Through an email exchange with Dharm, I learned that fresh coconut milk come from adding a little bit of hot water to freshly grated coconut. This is squeezed to extract milk. Then, a little more hot water is added for a second squeeze. One grated coconut should give you about 2-3 cups milk.

Other than the coconut milk theory, I don't know what else could be wrong. I followed the recipe very closely. So, I don't think I would make this again, but I would like to figure out more about Fenugreek and Rampe Leaf. If you have any good recipes, please share! I will continue in my search for a good curry recipe and will keep an eye out for more Fenugreek recipes. I can't wait to see the roundup!