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Focaccia style Lagana with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

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Focaccia lagana with olives and rosemary image

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Focaccia style lagana is based on the Greek flatbread but with the addition of olives and sundried tomatoes mixed in the dough.

Αncient Greeks colonized Southern Italy and Sicily between 800 to 500 b.C. and then in 146 b.C. the Romans conquered Greece.

During these years the Romans were influenced by the Greek civilization, culture and among other things food.

Until today in some parts of Southern Italy they still speak a Greek ancient dialect called “Griko”and the word lagana is still used there, however, having the meaning of wide tagliatelle.

Classic Greek Lagana image

Classic Greek Lagana

Lasagna comes from this word.

Originally it was an unleavened bread but eventually some yeast was added.

I know that now this is not the time for lagana, as traditionally this wonderful bread is only baked once a year, on the first day of Lent of the Orthodox Easter, and I cannot understand why, as everybody is crazy about this bread.

 

collage Focaccia Lagana with olives image

 

As I said yesterday, when I made koulouria, I had made double the recipe as with the remaining dough I wanted to make one of our favourite flatbreads:   Lagana but this time I decided to try something similar to focaccia.

I remembered seing some recipes of focaccia and one was with sun dried tomatoes and green olives.

The last time I went to the supermarket I had bought some sun dried tomatoes for another recipe and still had some left.

I did not have green olives but I still have lots of throubes olives, which were perfect when I made the Eliopsomo (Olive bread).

Focaccia Lagana with olives and rosemary image

Focaccia Lagana with thoubes olives

This focaccia style lagana is delicious when eaten warm but as I baked quite a lot, we ate the last piece today (five days later) and every day it was even better.

It dried and was crispy (not hard) like a rusk with all those beautiful flavours in it.

Lagana focaccia with Olives image

 Update 23/02/2015:

It’s Green Monday today and it’s been raining all day here in Assini, so we ate inside.

I made all the preparation from yesterday, so I left the dough in the fridge overnight and baked them in the morning.

If you want to prepare and bake them on the same day, you will need to bake them after the dough rises.  

You can prepare the dough using a stand mixer or by hand.

I made the dough with 1 kio flour and after dividing it into two pieces, I made the classic lagana first.   

Classic Greek lagana image

In the second piece of dough, I added some pitted olives, 2 spring onions with part of the green leaves, some sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary.   

Koroneikes olives image

The Koroneiki is an olive cultivar from Greece primarily used in olive oil production

Lagana with Koroneikes image

Brush the flatbreads with olive oil, cover with cling film and then a tea towel and set aside to rise.    

lagana rising image

Bake in a convection oven to 200 degrees Celciums for about 20 minutes.  As soon as the top one starts browning, swap the baking trays.   

Baking tin with water and reflection image

While preheating the oven, I added a baking tin filled with water to boil and make steam.  I left it inside until the flatbreads were baked.

In the picture you can see the reflection of the baking trays covered with tea towels, while rising.     

Baking both Laganas image

They were perfect with a delicious  crunchy crust and their texture are light and airy.

The first one can be eaten as regular bread or even sandwiched. 

The second one can accompany a meal but also eaten as a snack!   

Lagana baked and cut image

Below are some of my Lenten Recipes:

Lenten Recipes

Greek Orthdox Lenten Recipes are mostly vegan.

Nistisimes Syntages - Food for the Soul (Lenten Recipes)

Lenten Recipes ("Nistisimes Syntages")

If you think that during Lent, food is bland and boring, think again. I have prepared a roundup of more than 100 recipes for you to choose.

Tahinopita (A Cypriot Lenten Pie)

Htapodi (or moschious) me Makaronaki kofto (Octopus in tomato sauce with pasta)

Htapodi Salata (Octopus Salad)

Lagana with Garlicky Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Rosemary

A different "lagana" made with olives, sundried tomatoes, onion rosemary, etc.

Spanakopita Nistisimi (Lenten) from Cyprus

Taramosalata

Taramosalata, is a wonderful Greek dip made with red or white fish roe of the cod or carp fish, served as an appetizer.

Gigantes Plaki sto Fourno (Baked Giant Beans)

Gigantes plaki is a deliciously hearty vegetarian dish made with giant beans, cooked in a tomato sauce, served as a main dish or an appetizer.

Penne with seafood medley

Daktyla (Ladies’ fingers)

Daktyla, also called daktyla kyrion (meaning ladies fingers) is the most popular Cypriot dessert made with phyllo which is very crisp and very juicy, filled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar.  They are fried and then drenched in syrup, scented with anthonero (orange blossom water), which make them irresistible.

Shiamishi and Assumption Day

Shiamishi, are one of the best panigyria treats in Cyprus.  These are made with homemade phyllo filled with an aromatic, vegan, sweet semolina cream, which is flavoured with anthonero (orange blossom water) and mastic and then deep fried.

Vegan Coconut Mandarin Samali (Semolina Cake) and How to Make Vegan Whipped Cream

Focaccia style Lagana with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Focaccia style Lagana with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Focaccia style lagana is based on the Greek flatbread but with the addition of olives and sundried tomatoes mixed in the dough.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo bread flour
  • 32 grams fresh yeast or two sachets dried yeast (18 grams)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp demerara or other sugar
  • 500 ml lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds

First option:

  • 300 grams throubes olives, pitted
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs rosemary, only the leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 - 4 tbls fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp dried mint, crumbled or 1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
  • Freshly grated black pepper
  • Salt at will, depending on how salty the olives are

Second option:

  • 10 sun-dried tomatoes
  • 15 Koroneiki or Kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary or a sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • A pinch of coarse sea salt

Instructions

  1. Disslove the yeast with about 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Add sugar and some flour to make a thick batter. Cover with cling film and a towel and set aside until it bubbles.
  2. Attach the dough hook on your stand mixer and add the remaining flour, salt and olive oil in the bowl and mix. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed. 
  3. Gradually add the remaining lukewarm water (as well as the orange juice) and knead until the dough forms into a ball which does not stick to your hands. If it sticks, add more flour.
  4. Add the filling ingredients to the dough and knead again for a few minutes.
  5. If the olives do not incorporate in the dough, knead it by hand.
  6. Cover with cling film and a tea towel and set aside to rise and double in volume. (You can also leave it in the fridge overnight. In this case bring to room temperature and knead again).
  7. Grease a big baking tray with olive oil and also grease your hands with olive oil. Press and spread the mixture to become one flatbread, not thicker than 2 cm.
  8. Sprinkle some sesame seeds, cover with the towel and set aside to rise.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven to 200 degrees C until crispy and golden brown, for about about 20 – 25 minutes, depending on your oven. 

Notes

The amount of dough made one classic lagana without filling and one with the filling.

If you are making the first option with throubes olives, in the dough, you can add some orange juice to substitute part of the water.

© Ivy Liacopoulou
Cuisine: Greek Cuisine / Category: Bread

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Focaccia style Lagana with Olives image

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

About Ivy Liacopoulou

Ivy Liacopoulou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus, a beautiful island in the eastern Mediterranean, where her passion for cooking began as a child, helping her mother in the kitchen. Ivy belongs to a new generation of home cooks who loves to experiment and create new recipes of her own. She is the author of two cookbooks and she owns and manages Cooking Classes, in Nafplio, Peloponnese.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. pixen

    Oh my another keeper… this I must try to make 🙂 I can find the ingredients in my home. Recently I bought a bottle of kalamata olives but it’s preserved in brine instead. Now, it’s good excuse to use in this recipe. You think I can use machine to do the kneading? Will that change the taste and texture? I used to do pizza on my granite kitchen top but I can’t nowadays with a 2 1/2 year old who wants attention and standing on his toes measuring himself against the height of my kitchen top…

    As usual, wonderful history behind the food… Soon, I’m going to be very good in Greek History… xaxaxa… 😛

  2. Ivy

    Hi Pixen. By all means you can do the kneading in your machine, just use the hook but believe me it’s not necessary as no much kneading is involved.

  5. Peter G

    Another one of my favourites Ivy…I wish I could pop on over and indulge in that beautiful lagana! Love how used olives in the recipe too.

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