I will start by saying that this month’s Daring Bakers definitely ranks right up there in the ‘DARING’ mode, except this did not involve anyone whose surname is Knievel However, it did involve a pirouette that would make most ballerinas green with envy, a twist that would put Chuck Berry to shame, and a fall that would garner straight 10’s from Olympic judges in terms of the worst balance and maneuverability on the entire planet. And I’m not even talking about the lavash and dip yet!
This all occurred when I was setting up the tripod, camera, lavash and dip for photos, in a very stupid way, I might add. Until I’m home and comfortably nestled in front of my own PC with a leg that no longer looks bionic and feels like a bag of stones, I’ll refrain from the complicated, long-winded explanation detailing how I ended up on the floor with a leg that looked like it had been attended to by Gilderoy Lockhart’s wand.
I’ll just tell you that I’m completely immobile with a torn ALL-CL (translation – I tore every damn ligament in my knee) and a broken fibula. My leg is in a brace as I wait for the broken fibula to fuse so they can perform surgery and put my knee back together again. Until then you can call me Humpty Dum Dum.
That being said, since I’m on this teeny, tiny, somewhat ancient MAC (which I know nothing about!) laptop at the hospital, it’s hard to see and/or figure out how to work this thing to my comfort level, especially with the meds they’ve got me on. Loopy and uncoordinated are severe understatements (To quote Jeff Spicoli – “I’m so wasted!”) , so bear with me!
I was not able to get photos of the finished lavash and dip, but my SO came back to the scene of the event once I was placed in a room, drugged, and fast asleep, and took some photos of my partially finished, partially composed lavash and dip. Kudos to him, as that was an amazing thing to do without my asking, especially when he had no clue how to use my camera other then looking into the view finder and pressing the shutter button.
Now, on to this month’s DB challenge. First off, I’d like to thank Natalie and Shellyfish for such a great challenge recipe and idea. I’d never purposely made a vegan dip before, and Peter Reinhart’s lavash crackers were simply out of this world. The Bread Baker’s Apprentice is a book I own and enjoy immensely, but had never tried his lavash crackers. Now I have dozens of requests to make these again and again, although it looks like they may have to wait a while. Well, enough whining and bitching, and on to my lavash crackers and dip!
I decided to incorporate a little Japanese flavor into my lavash crackers, starting with a Japanese 7-spice blend called Shichimi Togarashi. I love this stuff! Hot, slightly sweet, spicy, toasty sesame etc, it pairs well with so many things, including sweets – especially anything that includes chocolate. You can usually find this spice in Asian or specialty markets, but if you can’t, it’s really simple to make on your own. I made my own since I happened to be out of it when I decided to make the first of several batches of the crackers. Everyone kept eating them before I could take photos, and I can’t say I blame them since they’re pretty amazing.
Top Photo; Clockwise from the left: dried tangerine peel, nori, dehydrated garlic, whole sichuan/szechwan pepper, black sesame seeds, chili flakes, white sesame seeds. Bottom photo – Ground and ready to use.
Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese 7-Spice Blend- ingredients may vary but this is the one I always use, although I sometimes switch out the garlic for dehydrated ginger and the black sesame for poppy seeds.)
1 tablespoon sichuan/szechwan peppercorns
1 tablespoon white or gold sesame seeds
2 tablespoons dried chili flakes
2 teaspoons nori flakes
2 tablespoons dried tangerine or orange peel
2 teaspoons poppy seeds or black sesame seeds
3 teaspoons minced dehydrated garlic or dehydrated ginger flakes (depending on which you prefer since you will get a different flavored togarashi with either)
DIRECTIONS:
Grind the white or gold sesame seeds with the whole szechwan pepper and chili flakes in a mortar and pestle or small spice grinder. If using black sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds, add that to the grinder. Stir in the nori, tangerine or orange peel, poppy seeds (if not using black sesame seeds) and garlic or ginger. Store in an airtight container or spice jar. It will remain at its best if stored in the refrigerator for about 2 months; 1 month outside the fridge.
I used the Shichimi on all the lavash crackers, but varied toppings in conjunction with it, such as rows of white and black sesame seeds, garlic chives, poppy seed, and dehydrated garlic.
I love a lot of toppings, so naturally the old adage of ‘a little goes a long way’ doesn’t apply to my lavash crackers, salt being the only exception, except I didn’t use any kind of salt as a topping. It didn’t need it, believe it or not.
That said, as I’m sure many Daring Bakers have mentioned, in order to get a nice, crispy lavash cracker, you must roll this dough super, duper thin. Dividing the dough into sections and running it through a pasta roller or machine is ideal. However, if you don’t own a pasta roller, and lack the patience to roll until you can’t feel your arms (with a rolling pin,) you’ll end up with a more ‘bready-chewy’ lavash cracker, which is nice too. Even better, you can leave the dough a little thicker, and voila, pita like lavash wraps.
You cannot lose here.
As you can sort of see above and below, I cut these lavash crackers into a myriad of shapes before baking them ranging from triangles to sticks to half moons, to off-kilter wedges. I had some great ideas to showcase these shapes for this entry, but crash, and all visions of pretty photos went bye-bye with my knee.
For the dip, I whipped up a batch of edamame hummus. Edamame are green soy beans, and you find them as an accompaniment to or in many Japanese dishes. I wanted to take some photos of them, but never got around to it prior to my accident. I decided to add some whole adzuki beans, of which I did happen to snap a photo of below, for texture. These are the beans used in many sweet Asian delicacies, mashed and cooked down with sugar and a little oil to make a sweet red bean paste, which I’m sure most of you are very familiar with. Whether it be in ice cream, steamed red bean buns, sesame balls, mochi et al, they’re great, but their sole purpose here was savory texture, and they done good.
I also added some roasted sesame asparagus tips, red bell pepper, and a little chopped scallion for an even more chunky and flavorful dip. Unfortunately, when I was setting up the photo prior to um (not mentioning it again), I had not yet added the asparagus tips nor a delicious drizzle of reduced tamari and a touch of toasted sesame oil, which not only took it up a level on the palate, but would have resulted in a much nicer photograph.
OH god, shut me up. I had no idea prescription pain meds made you so loopy. I’m actually laughing as I type, although I’m not sure what at. I’m stopping here. Enjoy!
Shichimi Togarashi and Seeded Lavash Crackers with Edamame Hummus
- 1½ 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)
- ½ tsp (.13 oz) salt
- ½ tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
- 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
- 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
- ⅓ to ½ 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
- 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 pass the windowpane test for a description of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- ½ pound fresh, shelled edamame, about 1½ cups, blanched
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon light sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- ¼ cup adzuki (azuki) beans, fully cooked and left whole (soaked in water to cover - overnight, drained, then cooked in fresh water for about 1½ to 2 hours) or just buy a can!
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion, green part only
- 1 small red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
- 1 lb thick asparagus, drizzled and coated with a little peanut and sesame oil, salt and pepper, roasted (about 400 F for 10-12 minutes) and cut up, using the tips for dip.
- Toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup tamari, reduced until thick and syrupy (to about 2 tablespoons)
- In a food processor, puree the edamame, tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the tablespoon of sesame and tablespoon of peanut oil and pulse until the oil is absorbed.
- Transfer to a bowl, stir in the chopped scallion, adzuki beans, red bell pepper, roasted asparagus tips, then drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil and a bit of reduced tamari. Serve with the crackers and/or assorted vegetables.
The colors of the different spices on the lavash looks great. Very interesting twist on the hummus. You sure are a DARING baker for baking while you are injury!
Thanks, FW4U! However, I baked these prior to my injury, so no deserved kudos here! lol
Oh lord, your crackers are gorgeous! I feel like hiding my plain old ones now =P
Hope you’re filling better Lisa. What an amazing job you did! Great blend of spices, so colorful! They are perfect!
Wow, I’m so impressed that you got this posted while in the hospital on pain meds. I’m in awe. I hope your knee recovers quickly!
Ooh, feel better soon. When you recover you will see how stunning your crackers are. Seriously, I hadn’t heard of Shichimi Togarashi before but now I simply must have some.
Hi Lisa,
I stumbled across your blog while looking at the Daring Bakers’ site. Making crackers is on my to-do list. Yours look great, but apparently there is some risk involved in taking photos of these crackers.
I HOPE YOU HAVE A SPEEDY RECOVERY AND THAT ALL GOES WELL WITH YOUR SURGERY.
http://positivelyforkstreet.blogspot.com
I’ve baked once before with a finger injury… had 10 stitches… but I still baked cut out frosted Easter cookies! Crackers look delicious!
Cherie
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AW, man! Sorry to hear about your accident! Hope you’re on the mend and will be up and around…SOON!
BTW, what you did photograph came out great and that was very nice of SO(?) to take the rest!
~ingrid
Oh no, your leg and knee! Get better soon!! Thinking about you – Sally
Your crackers were a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy!
The challenge was Lavash crackers not bone crakers! I’m sorry to hear about your fall, but you are persevering and posting your DB Challenge! 🙂
Your lavash looks wonderful! The seeds and the spices make for a nice picture.
Have a speedy recovery.
I love all your creative toppings and edamame hummus sounds so good. I hope your leg heals quickly!
You’re committed! Thanks for your comment, I agree, as long as they’re edible. Yours look amazing, and that spice mix sounds fabulous. I WILL be making that soon. Anything with sesames, nori and garlic are on my “love” list.
Hope your recovery goes well. Maybe have them hold out baking supplies in front of you when you start physical therapy, I bet that will motivate a quick healing.
Poor you, i hope you have a speedy recovery! Your lavash & dip look wonderful, I’ll definately try to make your edamame houmous sometime soon 😉
Thanks for visiting my blog and your kind comments. Your nori idea on the lavash is wonderfully delicious. And you managed to make lavash look glamorous!
How terrible! I’m so sorry for you – though I did laugh at the Gilderoy Lockhart comment. So glad you liked the challenge!
Hope you heal quickly! I love your Harry Potter reference by the way! But your crackers look amazing and the dip sounds so fantastic!
OMG! Your poor leg 🙁
I think your crackers look prettier than mine, so we shall have to agree to disagree 🙂 I love the idea of making an edamame hummus. I always have a bag of edamame in the freezer, so this recipe could come in handy when people drop round unexpectedly….
Ouch ouch ouch!! And your still blogging from the hospital??? Talk about dedication!!!!!!!
That hummus looks so good! (even though you’re a Yankees fan) 🙂
Hope you have a speedy recovery – you can watch the Sox in the playoffs. hehe.
Karen
Hope the injuries heal quickly. Dedication plus being in hospital and all, I think these are the loveliest flavour packed crackers I have seen, you really packed a lot of taste into every millimetre of Lavash. Yum yum I just discovered adzuki beans and have used them in soups and stew very tasty. Nori is one of my special treats. We have the same tastes it seems. Thanks of the comments on my blog.
what a gorgeous entry for last month’s challenge!! i was planning to use the same spices as toppings good thing i didnt do my challenge for your rendition are much prettier to look at! see you on next month’s challenge!
The crackers are beautiful and your dip is being put on my must make list. So sorry about your knee and I hope it heals quickly. Kudos for the crazy commitment to blog from the hospital!
How absolutely beautiful your crackers look. I’m very impressed.
As for the injury, I can relate, having sliced open my right hand for the french bread challenge.
Hopefully you’ll be up and around soon!!! (I’m doubly impressed that you are posting from the hospital!)
They look great. You needn’t have worried about them in the end, I guess 🙂
Lisa! – I’m so sorry to hear you are injured!! – I’ve been out of the loop for so long 🙁 You did a super awesome job on the crackers, they look amazing! Feel better and heal soon 🙂
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