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Pita bread pies with cheese in a frying pan

Skillet Lavash Hand Pies with Cheese

Golden, crisp, and so tasty! These skillet lavash hand pies with cheese are a lifesaver when you don't feel like fussing with dough. Wrapped in several layers, the lavash turns flaky like puff pastry once it's fried. And you can fill them with just about anything.

katushafin

Recipe author

Pita bread pies with cheese in a frying pan

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Thin lavash (1 sheet)

Hard cheese

Fresh herbs (one bunch)

Eggs

Vegetable oil

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 13 g

Fats 59 % 29 g

Carbohydrates 14 % 7 g

334 kcal

GI: 17 / 0 / 83

Cooking method

Cooking time: 20 min

Step 1:

How do you make lavash hand pies? Gather your ingredients. One sheet of thin lavash makes 4 small pies. Use a cheese that melts well. Pick whatever fresh herbs you like, too — I didn't have any fresh on hand, so I used frozen parsley and purple basil.
Step 2:

Grate the cheese on the coarse side of a box grater.
Step 3:

If your herbs are fresh, rinse them under running water and then pat them dry — excess moisture will make the filling soggy. Then chop them finely.
Step 4:

Combine the cheese and herbs and mix. The filling is ready.
Step 5:

Take the lavash and cut it into long strips. For small pies, aim for about 4 inches (9–10 cm) wide and 16–20 inches (40–50 cm) long — that way the filling stays wrapped securely and won't leak out while frying. Scissors make cutting the lavash easy.
Step 6:

Assemble the pies: take a strip of lavash and add the filling. How much is up to you. You can spread the cheese over about two-thirds of the length so it melts and tastes even better. If you're using a juicy filling, put it only at the start of the strip, or it'll soak the lavash all the way down.
Step 7:

Start folding the lavash, forming a triangle with each turn.
Step 8:

Keep folding all the way to the end of the strip. You'll end up with a neat triangular pie like this.
Step 9:

Do the same with the remaining strips.
Step 10:

Once the pies are folded, you're ready to fry them.
Step 11:

For the egg wash, crack an egg into a bowl and beat it lightly with a fork. Add a pinch of salt.
Step 12:

Heat a skillet on the stove and add the vegetable oil. Dip each pie in the egg on all sides, then set it in the hot oil.
Step 13:

Fry the pies over low heat until golden, about 2 minutes.
Step 14:

Flip the pies and fry the other side the same way.
Step 15:

Transfer the finished pies to a paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Serve them right away, hot — that's when they're at their crispiest.

I've made pies like these before with all sorts of fillings. Back then I fried them plain, without the egg wash. With the egg they're tastier (though richer), and you get a really appetizing crust.
Fry with an oil that has a high smoke point. Every oil is good only up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with few exceptions, have a low smoke point; they're full of unfiltered particles that quickly start to burn. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. Whether you're cooking in the oven, in a skillet, or on the grill, use an oil with a high smoke point. The most common high-smoke-point choices are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oil.
How do you choose good lavash? First, check the production date on the package and skip anything past its prime. Fresh lavash should smell pleasant. Look it over carefully for spots or any signs of mold.