How to store lavash at home, prolong and restore freshness

Traditional oriental bread is a thinly rolled white flatbread made from dough made with water and flour with the addition of salt. On supermarket shelves, Armenian bread is presented in the form of sheets 40-50 centimeters in diameter. The shape varies from round to oval. Such sheets taste quite dry, since due to thin rolling during baking they do not have a crumb.

Briefly about the main thing

The love for lavash came to us from Armenian and Turkish cuisines. This is the usual unleavened bread in the form of a flatbread without additives. It is served as a side dish, baked into pies, pizza, and rolled into envelopes with various fillings.

The flour product contains only wheat flour, water and salt. It is impossible to prepare classic Armenian bread at home, since to preserve the original recipe it must be baked on the back wall of a special oven - a tandoor.

Hot, freshly baked pita bread has a consistency similar to a tortilla, and acquires elasticity and firmness after it cools. These qualities made the product popular in Russia. It is convenient to wrap hard and soft fillings in it. And you don’t need a knife to eat it; it’s customary to tear the bread with your hands.

Do you know that…
Translated from Armenian, “lavash” sounds like “good food”; in another, less poetic version, it means “thin flat bread”.

Is it possible to eat pita bread with mold?

Lavash is one of the most susceptible products to mold. But since it takes at least 24 hours for mold to develop from spores on the surface of pita bread, we can say that the product was safe the day before. Once the mold has sprouted, the product becomes unfit for consumption.

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What to look for when purchasing

In store-bought packaging, pita bread stays fresh for 2-3 days, so you need to look at the date of its manufacture. The fact is that during production, tortillas are packaged while still hot, so that they remain soft and elastic, and the moisture does not have time to evaporate.

To increase the shelf life of the finished product, special food additives are used, which are placed in bags with lavash. This is provided for by the technical specifications. These additives are effective only until the package is opened and the cakes are removed from it.

Without preservatives, you cannot store pita bread in a plastic bag. In bags, it quickly becomes moldy, like any type of bread. Therefore, when buying in a store, it is important to also pay attention to the packaging - it should not be completely sealed.

Correct pita bread from the store:

matte, with a smooth surface without breaks;
elastic and resilient. It does not stretch or crumble;
No alcohol or vinegar smell. They can be added to the dough or sprinkled on the finished product.

The bread is very thin, takes up little space and takes the desired shape perfectly. A lavash cake weighs no more than a quarter of a kilogram

Compound

Lavash is a healthy product as it contains many vitamins and minerals. It is quite nutritious and contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, ash and dietary fiber. Also, unleavened bread contains quite a few vitamins: B vitamins (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B9), vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin PP, choline.

Lavash also contains minerals: sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, selenium, magranium, iron. Both amino acids and fatty acids are present there - Omega-3 and Omega-6, but in small quantities.

How to store at home

At room temperature. Opened pita bread should be stored indoors, in a room with low humidity. A bread box will do, preferably a wooden one. Of course, the bread bin needs to be closed so that its contents do not absorb foreign odors.
In a refrigerator. If you received “wet” pita bread, you should put it on the top shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is the lowest. In this case, the cakes must be wrapped in a bag, preventing air from entering the product as much as possible.

Note to the hostess
It is important to check that there are no strong-smelling foods nearby or on adjacent shelves in the refrigerator. Lavash, like any flour product, actively absorbs odors.

Storage conditions

How long pita bread can be stored depends on external conditions. To keep the product fresh longer, you need to choose a dry place for it. It is best to wrap it in a linen napkin or other natural, breathable fabric and place it in a bread bin. It is better if the bread box is wooden. But polymer and metal products are also quite suitable.

It is not advisable to store Armenian lavash in sealed bags, where the product will quickly become damp and moldy.

Flour baked goods have increased hygroscopicity. Therefore, in addition to moisture, Armenian thin bread is able to absorb all surrounding aromas.

For those who purchased obviously wet pita bread, there is a good recommendation. Keep it in the manufacturer's airtight container near the freezer. Depending on the refrigerator model, this may be the top or bottom shelf.

How to extend the shelf life

In rare cases, housewives need to keep pita bread fresh for a long time. In this case, the freezer will help. At a temperature of -18 °C the product can be stored for up to 90 days.

Bread that you plan to store for a long time should be wrapped tightly in cling film or parchment and placed in the freezer.
It’s better to put the tortillas at the bottom of a box in the freezer, so they won’t get wrinkled or break.
Don't forget to move the pita bread to another cold place when you plan to defrost the refrigerator.

When you need the pita bread, you need to defrost it directly in the film in the microwave. Ten seconds are enough to give the product freshness and softness.

There is a type of flour product based on yeast. This type of bread is higher in calories and has a shorter shelf life than traditional bread.

Apple marshmallow, recipe

What do you need:

2 cups baked apple puree (Antonovka or other sour apples)
200 g sugar
2 squirrels

Bake the whole apples in the oven at 180 degrees until fully cooked and soft. Baking time depends on the size of the apples.
Cool slightly and use a spoon to transfer the pulp into a blender and blend until pureed. Add sugar and stir. Cool the puree with sugar completely.
Turn on the oven to preheat to 80 degrees.
Add the whites to the cooled puree one at a time and beat at high speed until a white, fluffy mass is obtained and the volume increases 2-3 times.
Line the mold with baking paper. The mold should be of such a size that the prepared mass lies in a layer of approximately 3 cm.
Pour the prepared mixture into the mold and place in the oven for 6 hours.
Cut the finished marshmallow into strips, sprinkle with powdered sugar and store in a tightly closed jar.

What do you need:

200 g premium wheat flour
500 ml cold milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. spoon of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

To extend the life of thin Armenian lavash, you can freeze it for future use. We will find out how to do this in a step-by-step recipe with photos. Video recipe. Recipe content: Thin, oval flatbread is the center of the Armenian diet. But after a while, oven-baked lavash became no less loved in oriental cuisine and throughout the world. You can wrap anything in it: from juicy meat to fresh fruit. The bread product has the ability to be combined with any ingredients. And just in its own form - an excellent addition to borscht, soup, shish kebab, etc.

Thin bread is prepared from a minimum set of ingredients: flour, water, salt and oil. You can find a detailed recipe for making lavash on the pages of the site using the search bar. Real pita bread can be stored for a long time. In the old days, it was prepared for the whole winter, stacked in stacks of 10 sheets. During storage, the cake dried out, and simple water helped bring it back to life. It was enough to simply sprinkle the bread with water and wait until the water dries a little, or hold the dried pita bread over steam. In addition, fresh pita bread can be frozen for future use. However, it will not lose its quality throughout the year. How to properly freeze thin Armenian lavash will be the topic of the article.

Calorie content per 100 g - 235 kcal.
Number of servings - any
Cooking time - 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Thin Armenian lavash - any quantity

How to restore softness

If the pita bread has become stale, there is a way to “bring it back to life”:

Pour water into the pan, place a wire rack or a smaller pan on top, turned upside down. Place bread on top.
This structure must be covered with a lid from a large saucepan and placed on low heat.
The water will boil, and in an improvised steam bath the pita bread will regain its softness.

In its native Armenia, after cooking, lavash is dried in the sun, laid out in piles and stored in special large bread bins that look like cabinets. However, with such long-term storage, the flatbreads become brittle, so Armenians spray them with water from a spray bottle before eating, restoring their elasticity. Or the bread is placed on a damp towel and served after half an hour. At the same time, it retains its taste if it does not absorb foreign odors during storage.

Tip of the day
If it was still not possible to properly preserve the pita bread, dry, brittle strips can replace the crackers served with a hot dish.

How to cook homemade thin pita bread without yeast in a frying pan

Methods for storing salted and fresh lard in the refrigerator or freezer

Vegetable oil is added to the dough as desired - so that it stretches when rolling. It can be replaced with olive, corn, sunflower and even rendered pork fat. If you prefer bread baked goods without fat, then simply exclude it from the composition of the products. Pour wheat flour into a deep container and make a small depression in the middle. Don't forget to leave some flour for rolling.

Pour salt into it, add vegetable oil and pour in boiling water.

Immediately start kneading the dough with a fork. Since it is steamed in boiling water, this dough is called “custard”.

Form it into a ball and leave it to cool for 8-10 minutes as it will be very hot.

Then divide the ball into several parts - the proportions are about 7-8. Roll out each part with a rolling pin into a thin, thin layer. If you want to get round pita bread, simply attach a plate of the required circumference to the layer and circle it with a knife. Then roll out the rest of the dough again.

Heat a frying pan and fry the first portion of dough on it. Simmer on one side for no more than 1 minute!

Turn over to the other side as soon as a slight blush appears on the first. Bake also - 1 minute.

Place the fried pita bread on a plate and immediately cover it with a damp scarf or towel so that it does not dry out - then you will not be able to roll it up.

In this way, fry all the prepared pita breads and keep them under a towel, taking them out only when serving.

Yorkshire pudding with salmon

Enjoy your meal!

What to put in your child's lunch box

Taking a box of food with you to school, lovingly packed by your mother or grandmother, is the best way to take care of your child’s health. Only you can know what he likes, what he will eat at school with pleasure, and what he will return without touching.

And eating at school is mandatory. The body lives only through nutrition. The brain, which bears enormous loads, requires nutrition and energy. And breakfast at home is mandatory - this is enough for a child to eat for 2-3 lessons in order to feel comfortable and learn school material well.

Your lunch box for school should definitely include a baked product - bread, pie, spring roll, muffin, cupcake, quiche or mini-pizza. Be sure to have animal or vegetable protein. Fresh vegetables, berries or fruits. And, of course, the child should enjoy a piece of dessert - homemade cookies or candy.

A bottle of fruit juice or compote is a must. But there is absolutely no need for the drink to be sweet. Compote of dried fruits, rose hips, sea buckthorn - all these drinks can be prepared without sugar. Now there is an active fight against excessive consumption of sweets by children. This is correct, but you cannot completely exclude sweets from your diet; everything should be in moderation and in reasonable quantities.

Before we get into the recipes, here are a few tips on must-have foods that don't require pre-cooking. Almost all children love to chew carrots - cut them into long pieces. Cucumbers match carrots. It is better not to cut lettuce or cabbage leaves into small strips, but to put them in leaflets that are easy to “take in your hand.”

So, let's start with baked goods. Perhaps the most convenient option for a child to pick up and not get dirty is a lavash roll or stuffed lavash.

You can, of course, buy ready-made lavash, but it’s still better to cook it yourself, and for several servings at once. You will only need to decide what you will wrap in it.

What do you need:

3 tbsp. BC wheat flour (can be replaced with 30% whole grain flour)
1 tbsp. hot water - 55-60 degrees
1/2 tbsp. spoons of salt
frying pan with a thick bottom
1 whole chicken fillet
70 ml yogurt or kefir
paprika (and any spices that the child likes)
vegetable oil

Dissolve salt in water. Make a well in the flour and add water and salt. Knead the stiff dough.
Cover the dough with cling film and let rest for about 40 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 parts weighing 60 g. Roll out and cover with film.
Place the frying pan over medium-high heat.
Roll each piece into thin pita bread. It is more convenient to do this with a thin rolling pin. To make the pita bread smooth and round, roll it out from the middle to the edges, unfolding the piece each time. The thickness of the pita bread should be no more than 2 mm.
Fry the pita bread on one side for 1 minute, making sure it doesn’t burn. Turn over and cook for another half minute.
Place on a wooden board, sprinkle with water and cover with a towel.
Cool the pita bread, cover with baking paper and store in the freezer. Thaw before use.

Cut the chicken fillet into slices and beat. Salt, sprinkle with paprika and pour over yogurt. Stir and leave for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken fillet on both sides. Remove from the pan, cool and cut into strips.
Wrap in pita bread with vegetables and lettuce.
Can be frozen. Place in the lunch box from the refrigerator.

What do you need:

260 g flour
1 tbsp. spoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
230 ml milk

Filler:

1 tbsp. spoon of butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
100g feta cheese, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon dried Provençal herbs

Options: add 100 g of finely chopped and boiled cauliflower, or 100 g of coarsely grated carrots, or 50 g each of cauliflower and carrots.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Cut the onion into small cubes and sauté in a frying pan with butter until golden brown.
Remove, cool and add finely diced feta and herbs. If adding cauliflower and carrots, add everything to the cheese, onions and herbs. Mix. You can sprinkle a little freshly ground black pepper if you like.
In a bowl, mix sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, lightly beat the egg and add milk. Add onion, feta, carrots. Mix.
Pour the milk-egg mixture into the flour and mix as thoroughly as possible, but quickly.
Place in molds, if the child likes, brush with an egg slightly beaten with a tablespoon of milk.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool. Can be frozen.

What do you need:

200 g water
100 g butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
120 g flour
3 eggs
50 g bacon or ham
50 g hard cheese
5-6 sprigs of parsley or dill

Pour water into a saucepan, add salt and butter cut into small cubes. Place on fire and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and add all the flour, stirring vigorously. Stir until the dough forms a ball and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool slightly - 10-15 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth each time.
Cut the bacon or ham into small cubes, grate the cheese on a fine grater, chop the herbs and add to the dough. Mix.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a pastry bag or two spoons, place the dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 35 minutes. Cool before use. Can be frozen.

Is it possible to freeze shawarma?

In addition, shawarma can be

and
freeze
.
I make 8-10 pieces, we eat two at once, and the rest - in a bag and in the freezer. Very convenient, I came home from work, threw the shawarma
into the frying pan, 5-7 minutes, and dinner was ready.

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Features of defrosting yeast and puff pastry

Most often, housewives have a question about how to defrost yeast dough without spoiling it. The mass is indeed very capricious and if the processing technology is violated, it will become unusable and refuse to rise.

To minimize risks, you can try the following approaches:

The option of using warm water is allowed, only there should be two packages. They need to let out as much air as possible.
A good result is obtained by defrosting the composition on the lid of a pan with hot water. We put the workpiece in foil or a bag, turn it over regularly, and change the water if necessary.
Another mass can be placed in a clean and dry pan, which is placed in close proximity to the stove with burning burners.
As a last resort, the dough is defrosted in a water bath. The main thing is not to miss the right moment, otherwise the mass will run away.

But it is better not to defrost such dough in the microwave. Due to the specifics of processing, yeast may lose its properties and the product will no longer rise. Before quickly defrosting puff pastry in a microwave oven, you should also think several times. The consequences of such an experiment can be the most unpleasant. It is better to keep the product at room temperature; it will reach the desired state in just a couple of hours. For emergency defrosting, you can use a battery, but this will noticeably change the taste of the product.