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:

 

 

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

This gooey fudgy dark chocolate brownies recipe is sooooooo good. I am obsessed with these brownies. First thing to do is check my printable recipe at the bottom of this post. Gather and measure all your ingredients.

Start by positioning a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 325° F. Next, cut an 8 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Lightly butter an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan and line it with the parchment, allowing it to extend evenly over the opposite sides. Butter the parchment including the paper on the sides of the pan.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Remove from the heat. With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Add the flour and mix vigorously until the batter is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Fold the walnuts into the batter. (I also added some dried cherries.)

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan bottom on your counter top to level the batter.

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer in the center comes out moist but clean.

Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
I adapted this from Robert Steinberg's recipe for fudgy dark chocolate brownies.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: International
Serves: 8 or 9 brownies
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for the pan
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup toasted walnut halves
Instructions
  1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Cut an 8 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper.
  3. Lightly butter an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan and line it with the parchment, allowing it to extend evenly over the opposite sides.
  4. Butter the parchment including the paper on the sides of the pan.
  5. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
  6. Remove from the heat.
  7. With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture.
  8. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  9. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the batter is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  10. Fold the walnuts into the batter.
  11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan bottom on the countertop to level the batter.
  12. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer in the center comes out moist but clean.
  13. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
  14. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment “handles,” and cool completely on the rack before cutting into squares.

 

YUM!
Make some for your Valentine.
Here are a couple of cocktails for your boo too. 
happy-valentine-smiley-emoticon

Gooey Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

Greeks Dye Easter Eggs Red

One of the oldest Easter traditions for Greek Orthodox Christians are Easter eggs dyed red. In the Orthodox Church, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, and the hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ — the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead.

Easter Eggs Red

You can dye eggs naturally using the skins of yellow onions. I used the skin of 10 small to medium sized yellow onions and all the skin that was loose in the net bag they come in from the market.

Easter eggs red

I’ll use these onions in the same pan that I roast the traditional Easter lamb on Sunday. They’ll work as a bed for the lamb to rest on, along with other herbs, in the roasting pan.

Easter eggs red

Cover the skins with approximately 6 cups of water and 8 tbsp. of white vinegar. Bring to a boil and let steep. The longer the skins steep the darker the color. I used brown eggs with yellow onions skins to get the deeper rusty red color.

Easter eggs red

You can hard boil the eggs with the skins or in the liquid after the skins have been removed. Bring the liquid back to boil and simmer the eggs for 5 to 8 minutes then take off the heat. Leave the eggs in the dye until they are cool.

Easter eggs red

You can also let the eggs cool in the dye and set in your fridge overnight.

Here’s the how-to video I followed, on dying eggs with onion skins, from my friend, Blogger and Greek Chef, Peter Minaki.

Kalo Pascha and Kali Anastasi!

Merry Christmas – Kalá Christoúgenna

Merry Christmas Santa Smiley Kalá Christoúgenna, which in the Greek language (spelled phonetically) means “Merry Christmas.” Here’s the holiday photo of all my Hammond men and me.  On Christmas day and through out the New Year, may your life be filled with health, happiness and joy!

Merry Christmas Hammonds

Merry Christmas Santa Smiley My 2 little Yorkies, Stanley and Stella are ready for their close-up, and they too wish you a Kalá Christoúgenna. 😀 😀 😀

Merry Christmas Stanley and Stella

Merry Christmas Santa Smiley So I’ll post once again, just to make sure it’s clear, my family and I wish you the merriest of Christmases and a Happy New Year!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 😉

Merry Christmas card

Merry Christmas treeMerry Christmas treeMerry Christmas tree

Want to bake my Mom’s Greek Christmas cookies? Here’s the recipe!

Annual Holiday Koulouria
 
Every year I make Christmas cookies with my grandsons, Maxwell and Benjamin, just like I did with my son, Robert, when he was a boy. This is my Mom's recipe for Greek butter cookies.
Author:
Recipe type: sweet / baking
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 1½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup whipping cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • Zest of one orange or 2 tsp. orange extract
  • 4 to 5 cups of all purpose flour
  • Small can of sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Add in cream, vanilla, oil and zest.
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients.
  6. Slowly add dry ingredients to form a firm but pliable dough.
  7. Using about a tsp of dough, roll with hands on counter surface in long ropes, then fold in half and twist into a braid like cookie.
  8. Place on cookie sheet.
  9. Brush tops of cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  10. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.