Khorovats
Charcoal lamb glazed in pomegranate molasses, the Sunday centerpiece of the Caucasus.
Step-by-step →Bread · All regions
LAVASH
Լավաշ
Paper-thin unleavened flatbread, blistered and scored in the tradition of the hearth.
10 min
Total time
Makes 6 sheets
Yield
4
Steps
Step by step
HOW IT IS MADE
- 01
Make a soft dough
Mix flour and salt, pour in the warm water and knead for ten minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Cover and rest for thirty minutes.
- 02
Divide and roll
Cut the dough into six pieces. Roll each one out as thin as you dare — thin enough to read a letter through. Traditionally it is stretched over a cushion and slapped onto the wall of a tonir oven.
- 03
Bake fast and hot
Lay a sheet onto a dry, screaming-hot cast-iron pan. It will bubble in seconds; flip once the blisters take colour, about thirty seconds each side.
- 04
Stack and soften
Pile the baked sheets under a cloth so the steam keeps them pliable. Dried sheets keep for months and revive with a sprinkle of water.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Energy
- ≈ 210 kcal per sheet
- Preparation
- 40 min (incl. resting)
- Cooking
- 1 min per sheet
- Season
- All year
- Occasion
- Everyday bread, weddings, Easter table
Cook's notes
GET IT RIGHT
- Roll on a lightly floured cloth, not on bare wood — the sheet releases without tearing.
- The pan must be hotter than you think. If the dough does not blister within 10 seconds, wait longer before the next sheet.
- Skip the yeast for the traditional flat texture; add it only if you want a slightly puffier bread.
Variations
Matnakash style
Add 1 tsp yeast and 1 tbsp oil, roll thicker and score with your fingers for a soft, pulled loaf.
Herb lavash
Press chopped tarragon, dill or nigella seeds into the sheet before the final roll.
Questions
ASKED IN THE KITCHEN
Can I bake it in a normal oven?
Yes — 250 °C on an upturned baking tray or pizza stone, 60–90 seconds per sheet.
Why is my lavash brittle?
It was baked too long, or cooled uncovered. Stack sheets under a towel straight off the heat.
History & Culture
WHY THIS DISH
Lavash is the bread of the Armenian highlands, baked against the curved clay wall of a tonir — a pit oven sunk into the floor of the house. Baking day was collective work: women knelt in a row, one rolling, one stretching, one reaching into the heat.
In 2014 the tradition of making and sharing lavash was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The bread carries ritual weight too: at weddings it is laid on the shoulders of the couple as a wish for plenty.
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