Greek Lagana Bread

Greek Lagana is a flat, sometimes oval, or rectangular shaped bread that is very traditional and it is the custom in Greece to baked it today. Today is Kathari Deftera or Clean Monday, and marks the beginning of Orthodox Lent.

But… ¯\_(”)_/¯ it’s delicious, so go ahead and bake it whenever. It’s perfect for appetizer recipes calling for crustini.

Here’s my “step-by-step” of how I made Lagana today from an adapted recipe by Greek Chef Diane KochilasA printable version is at the bottom of this post.

Greek Lagana Bread

First, it’s a good idea to read through the recipe, and then gather and measure all the ingredients.

Greek Lagana Bread

In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup of the flour in warm water. Let it stand covered for 15 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam and bubble.

Greek Lagana Bread

In another larger bowl, combine 7 cups flour with the salt. Make a well in the center with your hand and pour in the oil and the yeast mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are combined. You might want to also use your hands.

Turn the dough out on to a counter or table dusted with flour and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough feels smooth to the touch but not sticky.

Greek Lagana Bread

Shape the dough into a ball, brush it with oil and allow it to rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and knead it for another 6 or 7 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Using a rolling pin, or your hands, shape the dough out on to two lightly oiled, or parchment lined, baking sheets into flat ovals about 15 inches long and about 6 inches wide.

Greek Lagana Bread

Brush with oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and allow it to rise again until your finger poked in the bread leaves an indentation without springing back.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees during the final rise.

Using your index finger, poke holes across the surface of the bread (about every 2 inches). Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove and place on a rack to cool.

Greek Lagana Bread

Oh, how I love the smell of just baked bread.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Greek Lagana Bread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Clean Monday marks the beginning of Orthodox Lent. Greek Lagana is a flat, oval shaped bread that is a very traditional and to be baked only on this day. This recipe is adapted from "The Food and Wine of Greece" by Diane Kochillas
Author:
Recipe type: Baking bread
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • 3 envelopes active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 7 to 8 cups bread flour
  • 2¼ cups warm water
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 5 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • Sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. In a medium work bowl, dissolve the yeast, sugar, and ¼ cup of the flour in the warm water.
  2. Let stand covered for 15 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam and bubble.
  3. In a large work bowl, combine 7 cups flour with the salt.
  4. Make a well in the center with your hand and pour in the oil and the yeast mixture.
  5. Mix well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are combined.
  6. Turn dough out on to a counter or table dusted with flour and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough feels smooth to the touch but not sticky.
  7. Shape the dough into a ball, brush it with oil and allow it to rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
  8. Punch the dough down and knead it for another 6 or 7 minutes. Shape it into 2 equal loaves. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on to two lightly oiled baking sheets into flat ovals about 15 inches long and about 6 inches wide.
  9. Brush with oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and allow to proof (rise) again until a finger poked in the bread leaves an indentation without springing back. Preheat oven to 450 degrees during the final rise.
  10. Using your index finger, poke holes across the surface of the bread (about every 2 inches). Bake for 15 – 20 minutes

 

Want to read my other posts about Lenten foods? Here are a few:

 

 

Pumpkin Bread… because PUMPKIN!

Are you sure that you haven’t been inundated enough yet with PUMPKIN? If not, then keep reading because I am jumping on this squash’s bandwagon! I’m using a recipe from the Taste of Life Greek Food Cookbook.Pumpkin Bread collage

I used Pumpkin Spice in place of cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s a mixture of both those spices and also ginger, allspice, mace and cloves. Mace is made from the covering of nutmeg seeds.

Pumpkin Bread -pumpkin spice

I made a little change in the recipe from the original. I fold the dried cherries into the dry ingredients, before combining with the wet. It’s a tip I learned watching Ina Garten. It keeps them from sinking to the bottom.

Pumpkin Bread mixure

Here is what the mixture looks like before it is transferred into a loaf pan.

Pumpkin Bread loafpan

The loaf pan should be greased. I used butter.

Pumpkin Bread - done

The bread is done baking when the skewer comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread - cooling on rack

This recipe will make your kitchen smell yummy! Happy Pumpkin Season!

Pumpkin Bread
 
Prep time
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Pumpkin Bread recipe from the Taste of Life Greek Food Cookbook by the Ladies Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Grand Rapids MI
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ cup nonfat dry milk
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice)
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup raisins ( I used dried cherries)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, dry milk, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg
  3. Fold in raisins (dried cherries)
  4. [My little change in the instructions from the original: I fold the dried cherries into the dry ingredients, before combining with wet. It's a tip I learned watching Ina Garten.]
  5. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, pumpkin,, brown sugar and oil
  6. Add wet ingredients into dry, mixing just until combined
  7. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 inch load pan
  8. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Christos Anesti 2012

It was a beautiful day celebrating Easter with family and friends. A lot of preparation goes into our annual Easter feast. I baked bread.Tassajara Yeasted Wheat BreadI dyed red eggs. (And inadvertently, my hands as well.)Traditional red Easter eggsI made my family’s favorite potato salad. The menu also included roasted potatoes and carrots, Greek salad, orzo salad and spinach pie. potato saladAnd of course, a leg of lamb. (You can see last year’s Easter lamb & festivities video here.)preparing the leg of  lambThe table was set early. (A little guy needed some blueberries fast.) We started the meal breaking Tsoureki, the traditional Easter bread. We read St. John Chrysostom’s Paschal Homily (c. 347–407).Table is set The egg cracking contest was underway…
Egg cracking

…and it’s Benjamin for the win!Benjamin FTWThe feast is abundant, eat your fill! All of you enjoy the wealthy banquet of the faith and mercy of God.

Greek Easter 2012

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!
Christos Anesti!

Bread: Part 3 – Tassajara Yeasted

Today I made bread for the first time following the Tassajara Yeasted Bread recipe. My last two posts have also been about the preparation of this event.

I made the bread without a mixer, or a bread machine, using just a bowl, a spoon and my hands. Oh… and a couple of bread pans and a hot oven.

Tassajara Bread spongethe important sponge

Tassajara Bread add salt & oil salt and oil added

Tassajara Bread add flour

with flour

Tassajara Bread rise 1

kneaded and set to rise

Tassajara Bread risen 45 min

risen after 45 minutes

Tassajara Bread punched down

then punched down

Tassajara Bread 2nd rise 45 min

only to rise again after 45 minutes

Tassajara Bread ready for the oven

then kneaded and ready for the oven

Tassajara Bread baked

baked bread

Tassajara Bread slice

sliced

Tassajara Bread slice

the contentment of success

“The food will taste better when the cook is joyful.” Edward Espe Brown