Ginger Sesame Lavosh

Well, it's game day.  As a die hard Washington Huskies fan, this season has been hard to stomach.  It bugs the shit outta me to see the Oregon Ducks doing well.  I still remember when the Oregon teams were at the bottom of the Pac-10 conference (actually one team still is, but I like the Beavers), and their annual football meeting was known as the "Toilet Bowl" instead of the "Civil War".  Its okay if USC or UCLA dominates, but really, NOT the Oregon Ducks.  Needless to say, I'll be cheering for Ohio State.  My favorite school administrator is a Buckeye.  His late sidekick, "Sugar Daddie", was also an Ohio State alumn.

In addition to being game day, it's also an administrative day at school.  The students come tomorrow, but today will be filled with meetings and the like.  That part sucks, especially since a nasty cold robbed me of the full enjoyment of a vacation. I teach year-long classes, but I was told that I'd be getting some additional students who were failing other classes.  I suppose I'll be expected to "courtesy pass" these new ones.  Well, I don't play that game.  They will be expected to work and submit quality work if they hope to pass. 

After months (yes, months) of being bombarded with requests for lavosh, I finally got off my ass and made some for D2.  The pictures for this post were taken a few years ago, and, for whatever reason, never got posted.  D2 would scream if she knew I put up this pic, especially since she looks so different now.  Oh well, she can just take a number in terms of getting in line to bitch me out. 

I'll be back to my old cheery self next week (it will be a holiday!) and I should be done licking my wounds from bowl season. . .looking forward to the next college football season since Marcus Mariota should be in the NFL by then.  and if he isn't it will be apparent that he is either afraid of the big boys or a closet scholar

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Ginger Sesame Lavosh

     2 3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1 tsp powdered ginger
     1/2 c sugar
     1/2 c butter
     1 c buttermilk
     3 tbsp black sesame seeds

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, powdered ginger, and sugar together.  Cut in butter until crumbs form.  Stir in buttermilk and sesame seeds.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Using a #40 disher (a generous tablespoon), scoop dough into balls onto floured surface.  Flour hands well and smooth balls.  Flour dough balls well.  On a piece of parchment paper, roll ball of dough out as thinly as possible.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Place lavosh, parchment paper and all, on cookie sheet.  Bake for 23 minutes.  Remove lavosh to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

Lavosh

This past week was an eating out week.  3M and I enjoyed a tasty lunch at Hilo Rice Noodle and the very next day, we had a nice breakfast at Coqui's Hideaway.  When we were hiding away, I saw LAMN's aunt having lunch with her lady friend.  Seeing LAMN's aunt, coupled with the ongoing conversation with 3M about our days in the Pacific Northwest, took me on a journey back to college days with LAMN.

LAMN's mom, unlike Kikukat Mom, would write to her nearly daily.  She would also send care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  In case my mom is reading this, let me say that my mom sent me care packages too, but they were usually filled with purchased snacks...won ton chips, crack seed, colored popcorn, etc.

Okay, now where was I?  Oh yeah...LAMN's mom would send  care packages with HOMEMADE goodies in them.  One goodie stands out above everything else...her lavosh.  Mmmmmmmm. . .it was like a sweet cracker, which was ono enough to eat plain, without any cheese spread, potted meat, or fruit butter.

LAMN's mom's lavosh was very different from my first introduction to lavosh, the one at the now-gone Gourmet Hut Hawaii in the old Kaiko`o Mall.  They sold lavosh in waxed-paper wrapped parcels.  If you went in and requested a sample of a spread, it was likely given to you on a small piece of lavosh (or Carr's crackers).  The lavosh there was not something you'd eat plain. . .it had to be topped with a spread.

LAMNs Mom

Now, several local companies make lavosh.  If you go to the local snack aisle (by the bakery) at KTA, you can find many different varieties/flavors of lavosh.  All pieces are nearly identical in size.  It's lavosh like the kine LAMN's mom made...local kine lavosh...somewhere between a cookie and a cracker.

A few years ago, I tried to make lavosh (local kine).  I remember seeing a girl doing a 4-H demonstration on lavosh.  She couldn't have been older than 13, so I didn't think it would be difficult.  My attempt turned out to be an epic fail.  The dough was sticky, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get it thin enough to be crisp.  And to make matters worse, even with sticky dough, the poppy seeds went all over then dang place.  I had poppy seeds all over the floor!

Being older and wiser now, armed with a Dyson and having discovered the magic of parchment paper, I thought it was good time to give it another try.  This time, I added the poppy seeds in the dough (no more having to sprinkle it on each piece).  While I was able to roll the dough thinner and not worry about how I was going to get it on the cookie sheet, the baking time was still something I needed to work on.  The 8 minutes called for in the original recipe was not anywhere long enough to yield a crispy product, and soft lavosh is not acceptable in my book.  I fiddled with the baking time in order to get snapping-crisp lavosh. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local-Style Lavosh

     2 3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/2 c sugar
     1/2 c butter
     1 c buttermilk
     3 tbsp poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, or combination)

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar together.  Cut in butter until crumbs form.  Stir in buttermilk and poppy seeds.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Using a #40 disher (a generous tablespoon), scoop dough into balls onto floured surface.  Flour hands well and smooth balls.  Flour dough balls well.  On a piece of parchment paper, roll ball of dough out as thinly as possible.  Repeat with remaining balls of dough.  Place lavosh, parchment paper and all, on cookie sheet.  Bake for 23 minutes.  Remove lavosh to cooling rack and cool completely before storing.