Monday, February 27, 2012

"Lagana" Kathari Theftera/Clean Monday

The Lenten bread known as Lagana traditionally sees the light of day only once each year, on the first day of the Greek Orthodox Lent, known as Clean Monday.  This recipe is Daniel fast friendly, Orthodox fast friendly, and Lent friendly.
Lagana was originally an unleavened bread but, over the years, a little yeast has crept into the recipes. It’s most often shaped like a rectangle with rounded corners, and is a fairly flat loaf.

" LUKE 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me"

Recipe

Ingredients
1 kg all-purpose flour
300g hard flour
50g fresh yeast
8 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 level tablespoon sugar
1 litre water (approx)
Preparation
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 200 ml tepid water.
Sift the all-purpose and hard flour together into a mixing bowl so that they are mixed together.
Sprinkle the salt over the flour.
Create a dip in the centre of the flour gradually add the solution with yeast and sugar.
Use a wooden spoon to lightly cover the solution in the centre with flour.
Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes, to let the yeast solution rise.
After this time you should see some bubbles in the centre, indicating that the yeast has been activated.
Add the remaining 800 ml water – enough to make a pliable dough, not too sticky, similar to that for normal bread.
Transfer the dough to a working surface and knead very well for about 15 minutes.
Put back in the mixing bowl and let it rest for no more than 15 minutes in a warm place, because we don’t want the dough to rise as bread does.
Place greaseproof paper in 2 shallow oven dishes, approx. 40cm x 30cm.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds in each of the dishes.
Divide the dough into 2 and place in the 2 dishes, shaping it and pressing it flat on top of the sesame seeds.
Bake in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes or until golden
Sprinkle 2 more tablespoons of sesame seeds on top of each one and press into the dough.
Set aside the 2 dishes in a warm place for 20 minutes, to rise.
 
 
Kali  Theftera

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