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    Home » Recipes » Traditional Greek Food Recipes

    Lagana - Traditional Greek Flatbread Recipe

    Published: Mar 15, 2021 · Updated: Mar 15, 2021 by Peter G · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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    a baking tray with a baked flatbread with a graphic on top explaining what it is

    Lagana is a traditional Greek flatbread made to celebrate the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox tradition. Light, airy and topped with sesame seeds, my lagana recipe is easy to prepare - and virtually foolproof!

    a table filled with bread, pickles and dip
    CONTENTS
    • Recipe features
    • You will love this
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Tips
    • More delicious breads
    • Video - how to make it
    • 📋 Recipe

    Recipe features

    Lagana bread is eaten on Kathari Deftera in Greece, which translates as Clean Monday. It signifies the beginning of the Lenten period (which lasts for 40 days) and culminates with Easter Sunday celebrations.

    Many people choose to fast during this time and enjoy a diet of Lenten food - abstaining from meat and dairy products.

    The traditional recipe produces unleavened bread made with no raising agents. However, my recipe uses yeast and other basic ingredients to create a soft bread with a distinct chew.

    While it shares a few similarities with Italian focaccia bread, lagana is traditionally topped with sesame seeds.

    You will love this

    It has an incredible aroma. This Greek bread is topped with sesame seeds which gives it an extra “nutty” aromatic hit. Your kitchen and house will smell amazing! There’s something about baking bread that really gets people’s attention. 

    It’s not heavy or dense. A lot of bread baked at home can turn out like bricks! Has that ever happened to you? Then allow me to guide you and show you how easy it is to bake this. Let your stand mixer do the hard work (or your hands). The dough used to prepare this recipe is soft and elastic, producing a “light and airy” lagana.

    It’s versatile. It doesn’t have to be Lent for you to enjoy this traditional Greek bread. Serve it as a side to your Greek appetizers. Or make it regularly and enjoy it dipped in olive oil or topped with melitzanosalata or htipiti. Just make it!

    Related: See my Greek Yogurt Flatbread for further inspitation.

    Ingredients

    labeled ingredients laid out on a table to make greek lagana bread

    Plain flour (all-purpose flour) - helps produce a beautiful crust, and most of us have this flour on hand in our kitchens. If you prefer, you can use bread flour - just increase the water amount by 50ml.

    Instant Dried Yeast - helps our bread rise and gives the lagana its distinct taste. 

    Sugar - helps to activate the yeast and give it “life”. 

    Lukewarm Water - along with the yeast and sugar, the water needs to be at room temperature. Hot water will kill your yeast. An excellent way to test this is to place your finger in the water- if it’s too hot, the water needs to be cooled slightly. 

    Salt - helps to slow down the rate the dough rises. It also helps to strengthen the gluten and modifies the flavour. Flavour is very important to me. Nothing worse than biting into your freshly baked Greek flatbread and discovering it is bland and tasteless.

    Olive oil - helps to make the dough elastic and imparts a subtle aroma. Please try to use the best Greek extra virgin olive oil.

    Sesame Seeds - These are the "signature" ingredient. For our lagana bread to be a “lagana”, it needs white sesame seeds as the topping.

    Instructions

    whisking easy, water, sugar and olive oil in a jug

    Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small jug or bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside for 5 minutes until the mixture activates and becomes frothy.

    pouring a yeast mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer with flour

    Place the flour and salt in a large bowl for your stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Add the yeast mixture, and at a low speed, let it knead the dough for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you may like to use a wooden spoon to bring everything together and knead the dough on a floured surface.

    • kneaded dough hanging form a dough hook on a stand mixer
    • kneaded dough in a bowl

    Once the dough is soft and elastic, drizzle a little olive oil over it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 30-45 minutes in a warm place or until doubled in size.

    Top Tip: The temperature of your room plays a big part in how long it takes to rise. If it’s on the cooler side, you may need to let it proof a little longer.

    cutting dough in half with a knife

    Place the risen dough on a floured surface, knead it for a few minutes and divide it into two equal parts.

    shaping a greek flatbread with a hand

    Take one part of the dough and, using your hands, gently stretch it until it forms a rectangular or oblong shape. Place it on a pre-oiled baking tray (you can use baking paper or parchment paper instead if you prefer). Allow it to rest and proof for another 20 minutes.

    Bonus Tip: If you have trouble stretching the lagana by hand, use a rolling pin to help you shape it. 

    • two hands making dimples in a shaped dough in a baking tray
    • brushing olive oil over a flatbread before it gets baked

    Use your index finger to create little dimples or pockets on the dough, brush the lagana with olive oil and cover generously with sesame seeds.

    freshly baked bread on a baking tray being handled by two hands with a kitchen towel

    Bake in a preheated 180 deg C oven until golden brown for 15-20 mins. Allow it to cool for 15 mins and serve warm or at room temperature.

    freshly baked flatbread on a table covered in sesame seeds

    Tips

    • Be creative with the toppings. If you don’t follow the Greek Orthodox religion, use the traditional flatbread recipe as a base and experiment with different toppings. Some suggestions include rosemary, olive oil and sea salt or sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
    • Getting the sesame seeds to stick. Instead of olive oil, try brushing a minimal amount of honey over the lagana or use a mixture of cornstarch and water to create a “glue”.
    • Leftover dough. If you choose to only prepare one flatbread, you can keep the remainder of the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge for 2-3 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking and proceed with the recipe instructions. I’ve done this a few times, and let me tell you - the lagana tastes incredible with more pronounced flavours.
    close up of greek lagana flatbread

    More delicious breads

    • Ladenia - With Heirloom Tomatoes
    • Pan de Leche
    • No-Knead Olive Bread
    • Buckwheat Pita Bread

    Video - how to make it

    📋 Recipe

    2 hands holding a baking tray with a freshly baked flatbread

    Lagana - Traditional Greek Flatbread Recipe

    Author: Peter G
    Lagana is a traditional Greek flatbread made to celebrate the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox tradition. Light, airy and topped with sesame seeds, my lagana recipe is easy to prepare - and virtually foolproof!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Proofing Time: 1 hr
    Cuisine Greek
    Servings 2 flatbreads

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 300 ml water, warm
    • 7 grams dry yeast
    • 2 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 450 grams flour, plain, all purpose
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small jug or bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside for 5 minutes until the mixture activates and becomes frothy.
    • Place the flour and salt in a large bowl for your stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Add the yeast mixture, and at a low speed, let it knead the dough for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you may like to use a wooden spoon to bring everything together and knead the dough on a floured surface.
    • Once the dough is soft and elastic, drizzle a little olive oil over it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 30-45 minutes in a warm place or until doubled in size.
    • Place the lagana dough on a floured surface, knead it for a few minutes and divide it into two equal parts.
    • Take one part of the dough and, using your hands, gently stretch it until it forms a rectangular or oblong shape. Place it on a pre-oiled baking tray (you can use baking paper or parchment paper instead if you prefer). Allow it to rest and proof for another 20 minutes.
    • Use your index finger to create little dimples or pockets on the dough, brush the lagana with olive oil and cover generously with sesame seeds.
    • Bake in a preheated 180 deg C oven until golden brown for 15-20 mins. Allow it to cool for 15 mins and serve warm or at room temperature.

    Notes

    • Be creative with the toppings. If you don’t follow the Greek Orthodox religion, use the traditional flatbread recipe as a base and experiment with different toppings. Some suggestions include rosemary, olive oil and sea salt or sun-dried tomatoes and olives.
    • Getting the sesame seeds to stick. Instead of olive oil, try brushing a minimal amount of honey over the lagana or use a mixture of cornstarch and water to create a “glue”.
    • Leftover dough. If you choose to only prepare one flatbread, you can keep the remainder of the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge for 2-3 days. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking and proceed with the recipe instructions. I’ve done this a few times, and let me tell you - the lagana tastes incredible with more pronounced flavours.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 flatbread | Calories: 1015 kcal | Carbohydrates: 179 g | Protein: 26 g | Fat: 20 g

    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

    © Souvlaki For the Soul

    Made this recipe?Let me know how you went and tag @souvlakiman on Instagram!

    More Traditional Greek Food Recipes

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    • Greek Lemon Rice Recipe
    • Ladokouloura (Greek Olive Oil Cookies)
    • Greek Biscotti (Paximadia)

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    1. Denise

      July 11, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      Really enjoyed eating this bread thank you. Had it with dips! Yum!

      Reply

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    Yeia sou! I'm Peter! I consider Greek food to be the best food in the world. Let me show you how easy it is to prepare traditional and modern Greek recipes in your kitchen. And bonus points if you like baking too!

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