Lavash
Vegetarian
Լավաշ · lavash
Soft, very thin flatbread rolled out paper-thin and cooked quickly on a hot dry pan. Used for wrapping grilled meat, cheese and herbs.
Lavash is an Armenian bread, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with all-purpose flour. It serves 10 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 194
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, water, salt and oil and knead for about 8 minutes to a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Divide into 10 balls. On a lightly floured surface roll each as thinly as you can, until you can almost see through it.
Step 3
Cook one at a time in a very hot, dry, large frying pan until bubbles appear and the underside has pale brown spots, then flip briefly.
- 20 min
- high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 4
Stack the cooked breads under a clean, slightly damp tea towel so they stay soft and pliable.
- 1 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Armenia · Commonly attributedLavash is central to Armenian food culture; very similar thin flatbreads are traditional in Iran, Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Central Asia.Also popular in Iran, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, GeorgiaMore food from Armenia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Breakfast · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Toasted
- Taste
- mild, savoury
- Diet
- Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Budget-friendly · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Kneading
Allergens
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
194 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 80 g · recipe makes 10
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 11%
- Carbohydrate 80%
- Fat 9%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 194 kcal | 243 kcal |
| Protein | 5.2 g | 6.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 38.2 g | 47.7 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 36.8 g | 46 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g | 0.2 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.4 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 1.9 g | 2.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 235 mg | 293 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 0.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 54 mg
- Calcium
- 10 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 146 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Lavash dries and turns crisp in the air; sprinkle with water and wrap in a towel to soften it again.
Serve with
- Wrap around grilled meat (khorovats), herbs and cheese, or serve with soups and stews.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days wrapped at room temperature; freezes well. Dried lavash keeps for weeks.
History
The preparation, meaning and appearance of lavash in Armenia was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.
Confidence: Well documented
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 45 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 30 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 20 min
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 35 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 280 g | 56% |
| Sunflower oil | Fat | 14 g | 2.7% |
| Salt | Salt | 6 g | 1.2% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- 56%
- With milk, eggs…
- 56%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
- Salt 1.2% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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