Saturday, September 27, 2008

Daring Bakers Challenge: Lavash


This month's Daring Bakers Challenge marks a momentous occasion... I didn't have to make a single substitution to make the recipe vegan! That's because this month's lovely hosts are members of the Alternative Daring Bakers, representing both vegan and gluten free... Shel of Musings from the Fish Bowl and Natalie from Gluten a Go Go. The challenge? Make vegan, and optionally gluten-free, lavash (an Armenian cracker bread) topped with a spice mixture of your choice and a vegan dip! It was nice to have so much freedom to play around with the flavors. And luckily, my post-Ike power situation was resolved this week (after 12 days without power), so I was able to bake with my own oven!


Even though we made Armenian-style lavash crackers, I chose an Egyptian spice mixture as a topping. Dukkah is a blend of dry nuts, seeds, and spices. The dukkah I made has slivered almonds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fenungreek, dried thyme, black peppercorns, and sea salt all toasted lightly, then ground into a coarse meal (photo below is just after toasting).
I was a bit pressed for time last night when I made these crackers. We were having a dinner party and I was making three other dishes at the same time, so I chose a simple dip for the lavash that would let the dukkah spice mixture shine through. This is a traditional hummus recipe from Veganomicon, finished with a light dusting of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.
As for the lavash, they are crispy and full of flavor. In fact, I am eating them for breakfast with leftover hummus as I type this post. Best of all, they were very easy to make and my dinner guests were impressed with homemade crackers!
I hope all of the Daring Bakers had fun with this challenge and saw how easy it is to bake with vegan ingredients! There has not been a challenge yet that I couldn't complete, baking vegan allows you to experiment and be creative. I would encourage anyone to join us as an alternative baker any month to see how much fun it can be. Thanks again Natalie and Shel for a challenge that will go down in daring bakers history!

41 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Amanda, it looks amazing, especially with the hummus. Of COURSE your dinner guests were impressed. Who wouldn't be?!

Binx said...

those really do look amazing. also, it gives me an idea of how to use the fenugreek i never, ever use!

Anonymous said...

glad to hear you have your power back.

I've been curious to make dukkah since I saw a recipe a while back. I'll have to try that next time!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a fan of lavash, but that dukkah topping may convert me yet! Sounds fantastic. Congrats on a great submission! :)

Dewi said...

Hummus seem really a good companion for this lavash. I love that sound "Dukkah" on the crackers. I am sure it adds nuttiness to the crackers. Very creative!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

FANTASTIC!!! I seriously am too excited for my own good about this month's DBC - love it!! :0) Nice work, as always!!

Anonymous said...

This looks so amazingly good, I could jump into my screen. Send some over, will you?

Tami said...

Wow! I've never had lavash and now I want to. Those looks so delicious and crunchy. You had very lucky dinner guests...and YAY for the return of your power!

Lauren said...

Ooo, your lavash looks great! Oh, and that dip looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

Mmmm... Lavash! That is one Armenian recipe I've not made by myself yet! I've made several Armenian dishes over the years (it's in my genes!) and have veganized many, including Sarma -- a favorite of even my non-Armenian relatives. What a nice touch to compliment the lavash with the dukkah mix & hummus!

Next time I see you, I'd absolutely LOVE to sample your lavash!!! : ) And some time in the future, I'll get ambitious and make a batch of Sarma to share with you!

We need you to open a vegan bakery here in Houston real soon!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you liked the challenge! Your crackers are just beautiful! I hope we get more alt-Daring Bakers hosting soon!

allularpunk said...

crackers! i've been seeing these on other blogs today and everyone's variations look so good!

Maggie said...

The dukkah sounds deilcious! I've got to mix some up soon.

Amy said...

Oh YUM! I have a whole tin of dukkah (yes, I'm lazy and bought mine from the store) and had no idea what to do with it! This is an awesome idea!

Jes said...

Your crackers look great! Definitely making me hungry now. :)

Catherine Weber said...

I love the Egyptian spice blend! Mine were pretty boring (salt and pepper, and salt and wheat germ,) but still delicious!

Animal-Friendly said...

Those crackers look delicious and the spice mixture you used sounds so interesting! I would have a hard time resisting to eat that entire bowl of hummus with those chips :)

Anonymous said...

Your Daring Bakers and ICE challenges were both incredible successes. I'm glad you enjoyed this challenge (I did, too!) because you really rocked it!

I'm so glad to hear your power is back on! Hooray!

Anonymous said...

All of those savory toppings look so tempting... Now I'm sad that I held back and kept it so simple. I may just need to make these again and get it right, once and for all!

aTxVegn said...

Your crackers look amazing and yes, very impressive. I love the dukkah topping you chose and wish I could have a taste!

I signed up for the Challenge and should begin next month!

Anonymous said...

I like how you're subtly showing off your knitting in that photo of the spices. I still need to try purling! We made that hummus Friday night - good stuff! Your lavash looks awesome!

Anonymous said...

Your lavash look gorgeous! Hummus goes so well with these crackers--great pairing :)

JENNA said...

great looking lavash!! i'm in the mood for hummus now.

Alicia said...

OMG, lavash bread and hummus? are you trying to kill me? ;-) You might bring back my appetite...

Veronica said...

I'm glad your power is finally restored! The lavash looks great; that's awesome that this month's challenge was a vegan one!

Vaala ◪ said...

Wow, that lavash bread looks delicious. The spice mix looks incredibly enticing. Good to hear you've got your power back at last.

VeganView said...

Those crackers and hummus look and sound incredible! Inspiration for making homemade crackers. for sure.

Speedbump Kitchen said...

Great job, the hummus looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

Add me to the list of people who have fenugreek and need to find something to use it in. Glad you could fit the challenge in; I love your take on it - dukkah sounds delicious.

Mr. Crosier said...

LOL I thought I might be the first to comment on your knitting but Stacey beat me to it. That looks excellent, by the way. I heart homemade crackers. I'd love to know what else you served with this at your dinner party!

Rebecca said...

All the seeds and spices on your crackers look gorgeous!

tofufreak said...

!!!! i wanna be your dinner guest!!! haha

hummus and lavash crackers look like a great combo :D

Dukkah sounds like a good topping. very savory choice :)

Jess said...

Your lavash looks so fabulous! This was my first Daring Bakers challenge, and while my photos are a bit lacking, I loved the dish! I also considered making hummus as the dip, but decided on Spinach-Artichoke Dip. You can't go wrong with a good hummus, though, and yours looks perfect! :)

Anonymous said...

Your crackers look lovely. Wasn't this such a fun recipe. Crackers... who knew?

Glad you survived the storm and things are back to normal.

Jane of VeganBits.com

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Wow, the dukkah makes them so gorgeous!

urban vegan said...

Gosh, I love lavash. Or should I say "gash?"

jessy said...

what a tasty success! your lavish bread looks DIVINE! and the hummus - creamy & perfect! hooray for not having to veganize any of this! gotta love all those vegan ingredients! w00t!

Bianca said...

Yea for power!!! And yea for alternative bakers! This lavosh sounds so delicious!

And btw, you got my vote on Iron Cupcake! Good luck!

Leslie Richman said...

Looks delicious! I had fun in my first Daring Baker challenge!

Marni said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog. Your lavash crackers look fantastic! I've never heard of dukkah before, but it sounds delish. I absolutely love playing with spices and seasoning. Nice job!

Bert said...

Amanda, hi

The crackers look delicious, I am sure they tasted equally good. Glad to hear you are back in your own kitchen. What an ordeal that was.