Homemade Greek sesame flatbread
Homemade lagana bread
Lagana is the bread of Kathara Deftera.
Lagana (Greek: λαγάνα, from λάγανον) is a Greek flatbread traditionally baked for Clean Monday, the first day of the Great Lent. Traditionally, it was prepared unleavened (without the yeast), but leavened lagana is nowadays more common. It is typically flat, oval-shaped, with surface decorated by impressing fingertips.
Sesame seeds are a common topping, and it may also be topped with other herbs, and seasoned with olive oil. The name comes from a Greco-Roman pastry dough lagana, which is also the origin of the word lasagna, also known as tracta, from Ancient Greek: τρακτὸς.
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 50 gr. dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1 level tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- sesame seeds
Method
- In a bowl put the yeast, the sugar, the water, stir well to dissolve the yeast and add half cup of flour and stir until you have a uniform batter.
- Cover with towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl add the flour make a hole, add the batter’s yeast, the salt, the olive oil and the margarine.
- Knead well for at least 10-12 minutes, until dough becomes elastic, soft and not sticky (if necessary, add flour or water).
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl that you have smeared with oil.
- Cover with a towel, and leave for 2 hours in a warm place.
- Knead for 5 minutes on floured counter.
- Cut the dough into two equal pieces.
- In a baking paper on a baking pan and form each piece of dough into an oval, thin loaf (lagana).
- With our fingers do holes across the surface.
- Sprinkle with water and with plenty of sesame seeds.
- Cover with towel and allow about 20 minutes in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 200oC and bake for 30′.
- Remove from the oven and put the lagana to a rack to cool.
Tips:
You can prepare lagana the previous evening and wrap it well with cotton cloth because it dries out easily.
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