(photo: left to right eggplant/feta/parsley, cheese and tomato sauce, red onion and mushroom lavash pizza)
I love stumbling onto new food items. In fact, I encourage folks to pick up a few random items at their local market and try new recipes from time to time. One such recent food stumble included a package of Lavash bread at a local bread shop. I'd seen Lavash as a kid (at my Armenian and Turkish friends' homes) but the flatbread always took a second seat to a crunchy baguette or pane Pugliese.
I love stumbling onto new food items. In fact, I encourage folks to pick up a few random items at their local market and try new recipes from time to time. One such recent food stumble included a package of Lavash bread at a local bread shop. I'd seen Lavash as a kid (at my Armenian and Turkish friends' homes) but the flatbread always took a second seat to a crunchy baguette or pane Pugliese.
The package of Lavash caught my eye because I was craving pizza and had heard it made fantastic thin crust pizza. In turn, I headed home with the bread and made a series of pizzas including grilled eggplant and feta, mushroom and onion, and tomato sauce and mozzarella.
Ingredients and Process:
First and foremost making pizza out of lavash requires that you preheat the bread before adding the toppings (given how thin the bread is and the need for it to stand up to the toppings). Thereafter, brush the lavash with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes or until the bread becomes slightly crunchy. Next, add the toppings (which should all be cooked ahead of time) of your choice and bake the pizzas for another 7-10 minutes or until the toppings become hot (and/or the cheese is melted).
First and foremost making pizza out of lavash requires that you preheat the bread before adding the toppings (given how thin the bread is and the need for it to stand up to the toppings). Thereafter, brush the lavash with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes or until the bread becomes slightly crunchy. Next, add the toppings (which should all be cooked ahead of time) of your choice and bake the pizzas for another 7-10 minutes or until the toppings become hot (and/or the cheese is melted).
Lavash pizzas are ideal because the topping really stands out given the the lack of thickness with the bread/base. There are no substitutes for a good pizza dough (click here for my recipe), but given how quickly you can put together a few lavash pizzas I recommend the recipe for a super quick lunch or dinner party appetizer!
Italian
