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Lavasa
Thin leavened flatbread
لواسہ: thin, soft leavened flatbread from the Kashmiri kandur bakery
Every Kashmiri neighbourhood has its kandur, the baker who slaps breads onto the walls of a clay tandoor before dawn, and lavasa is the thin, soft, bubbly sheet bought for the afternoon or for wrapping hot seekh kebabs at weddings. It is lightly leavened, a little chewy and faintly smoky, and is eaten with noon chai or with harissa in winter. At home a very hot heavy pan or a pizza stone does a fine job. The common mistake is rolling it too thick; lavasa should be thin enough to see light through at the edges. Chef's tip: stack the breads under a clean cloth as they come off the heat, so the steam keeps them soft and foldable.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida)
- 3 ½ oz wholewheat flour (atta)
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida), 3 ½ oz wholewheat flour (atta), 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 tbsp sunflower oil and knead 8 minutes into a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1–1½ hours until doubled and full of bubbles when pressed.
90 minStep 3: Divide into 6 balls and rest 10 minutes under a cloth. Roll each into a thin oval about 2 mm thick, dusting with flour.
15 minStep 4: Heat a heavy iron pan or tawa over high heat until a sprinkle of flour browns in 5 seconds. Lay a bread on it and cook 1 minute until bubbles rise and the underside has brown spots.
3 minStep 5: Flip and cook 1 minute more, pressing the puffs down with a cloth so it cooks evenly. If you have a gas flame, hold it briefly over the flame with tongs for smoky spots.
2 minStep 6: Stack under a clean cloth and repeat with the rest. Serve warm; wrap leftovers and reheat briefly in a hot pan.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lavasa take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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