If you’ve ever eaten at a real Turkish kebab house or ‘ocakbasi,’ meaning ‘fireside restaurant,’ you’re sure to have sampled this classic puff bread from the southeast of Turkey.

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‘Lavas’ (lah-VAHSH’), sometimes called ‘balloon bread,’ is thin and crispy and puffs up high as it cooks. It’s served piping hot with a hollow center full of steam as an appetizer before kebab meals along with Turkish ‘tulum’ goat cheese, chunks of unsalted village butter and spicy tomato and pepper crush called ‘ezme’ (ez-MAY’).

Use this recipe to bake authentic Turkish ‘lavas’ at home. It’s not only delicious, it’s a lot of fun and makes a great conversation piece.

See Also

All About Turkish Bread

'Kadayif' Is Used In Many Turkish Dessert Recipes

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Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. salt
• sesame seeds and nigella seeds for garnishing

• Prep Time: 150 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

• Total Time: 160 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

Preparation

1. Begin by mixing the dry yeast and the warm water together in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Next add the sugar and again stir until dissolved. Set the yeast mixture aside in a warm place to let it develop. You’ll understand it’s ready if you see bubbles on the surface.
2. After 15 minutes, melt the butter then let it cool down.  Stir it into the yeast mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture.

1. Knead the dough first in the bowl, then on a lightly floured surface until it forms a smooth ball.
2. Grease the inside of a deep bowl with some olive oil, put in the dough and cover it with plastic wrap.
3. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Turn the dough out on your floured surface and knead again for another 15 minutes.
4. Oil the boil again and add the dough, this time letting it rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size.
5.  At this stage, preheat the oven to  480° F /250° C. Turn out the dough on your floured surface and flatten it with your hands. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 3 even-sized pieces. Form the pieces into balls and cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise for 15 minutes more on the surface.
6. Take each piece of dough and make a disk using your hands or a rolling pin. Continue to flatten the disk until it becomes very thin. Use extra flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and the surface.
7. Sprinkle sesame and nigella seeds onto the dough and roll it in with the rolling pin with one last stroke.

1. Grease two large baking trays with olive oil and place 3 pieces of dough on each one. Bake them for about 8 minutes until the centers puff up high and they begin to brown.
2. If you have time, bake them one by one in the very center of the oven for the best puff-up results.
3. Serve your ‘lavas’ hot with goat cheese, butter, spicy ‘ezme’ salad and grilled meats.