Lagana is a Greek flatbread that is usually eaten on Clean Monday during Holy Easter week. Soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, you will want to make it much more often than just once a year.
Ingredients
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
Ingredients – Top
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
Sesame seeds
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Activate the yeast in the warm water for 15 minutes. Mix the flour and the salt, leaving a well in the middle for the yeast. Once the yeast has foamed, add it into the well and start to pull in the flour towards the center. Once the flour is incorporated, add the oil to your hands and rub them together to get rid of any dough. Knead the dough in the bowl for 10 minutes and then pull it onto a flat surface. Continue to knead the dough by folding it into itself and punching it for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The dough should feel firm and elastic.
Place the dough in a bowl and let it rest covered for 1 hour. The dough will be doubled in size. Once ready, remove the dough from the bowl and, using your fingers, depress it to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet and spread it out with your hands. Prepare the syrup that will help the sesame seeds adhere to the flatbread by mixing the water and sugar until the sugar is melted. Brush the syrup on the flatbread and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes in the baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After the dough has risen, uncover and use your fingers to depress indentations into the flatbread. Drizzle oil over the flatbread and allow the oil to rest in the indentations. Bake the flatbread for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown. When the flatbread is removed from the oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.
Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving. Makes one 14” x 10” flatbread.
Patataki 