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Recipe: Lagana, Greek Flatbread for “Clean Monday”

Name: Lagana, Greek Flatbread
Cuisine: Athens
Ingredients: 16 gr dry (instant) yeast; 3 gr sugar (I use fine, organic raw cane sugar); 350 ml water at room temperature; 8 gr salt; 20 ml olive oil + ¼ cup to brush on top; 490 gr all purpose flour; 120 gr bread flour; 3-4 tbsp sesame seeds; 3-4 tbsp nigella seeds

By Carolina Doriti

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Recipe Information

My recipe here yields two large lagana flatbreads. These are very moreish and go quickly – trust me – but you can half the recipe or freeze one of the two laganas after it’s baked.

Ingredients

16 gr dry (instant) yeast
3 gr sugar (I use fine, organic raw cane sugar)
350 ml water at room temperature
8 gr salt
20 ml olive oil + ¼ cup to brush on top
490 gr all purpose flour
120 gr bread flour
3-4 tbsp sesame seeds
3-4 tbsp nigella seeds

Preparation

Step One

In a bowl mix the yeast with the sugar and 100 ml of water. Let stand for 15 minutes until it is activated and bubbles form. In a large basin, add flour and form a well. Pour the yeast in the center, then the oil and gradually add the rest of the water, while mixing gently with your hand. Add in the salt and knead it.

Step Two

Once you can properly knead it, transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 15-20 minutes until you get a nice elastic dough that doesn’t stick much on your hands. (You may need to flour the surface a few times if you feel the dough needs it.)

Step Three

Shape into a ball and place into a greased (with olive oil) bowl. Cover with a towel or cling film and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours. Uncover, and press it to check if it’s risen correctly. It shouldn’t come up immediately when you press it.

Step Four

Line two large baking trays with parchment paper. Divide the dough in two equal pieces. With a rolling pin, roll it out into a thin flatbread about 0.5 cm thick (it shouldn’t be much thicker than that because it will rise again). Place the laganas on the baking trays (one per tray). Cover with clean towels, and let them rise for 20-25 minutes. Preheat the oven at 220 degrees C while the flatbreads are rising. Uncover and create indents all over the flatbread with the tip of your finger or the back of a wooden spoon. When you press, go all the way down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds.

Step Five

Bake for 10-12 minutes until nicely browned. Let it cool on a rack for a few minutes and enjoy it warm, ideally with taramosalata.

Kala Koulouma! (Happy Koulouma, as we say in Greece on Clean Monday!)

To convert metric measurements to US and British kitchen units, click here.

Written & photos by Carolina Doriti

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