Alright—time for our next Maniati recipe.

As some of you may already know, this recipe is quite popular in my second cookbook, A Drop of Ladi & My Greek Soul. It’s one of my favorite Mani breads, and I’m hoping it becomes one of your favorites too! Introducing Lakonian Lalagia (Λαλάγγια)—oval-shaped rings of fried bread, or as I like to call them, our favorite beach snack in Mani.

They’re simple to make with just a few ingredients: flour, water, yeast, honey or sugar, salt, and of course our beloved extra virgin olive oil. A simple recipe, yet incredibly delicious! You can serve these savory or sweet. In this case, we’re doing both—but my favorite is the sweet version with cinnamon, honey, and walnuts.
Yes… much like our loukoumades! We Greeks really can’t escape our honey!!

 

 

 

Lakonian Lalagia Fried Bread Recipe

Servings: 18-20 pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup of warm water (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar
• 2 & 1/4 cup of bread flour (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon of salt(finely ground)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• Olive oil or vegetable oil to fry in (see notes)

Serve:

• Chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and honey
• Powdered sugar & cinnamon
• Try serving these with cream cheese and orange marmalade

 

 

Method:

1. In a small bowl combine the yeast, water, and honey. Let proof for about 10 minutes or until foamy. See photo for the “foamy” look.
2. Combine flour, salt, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix together until crumbly. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine to make a lightly sticky dough. Don’t worry if the dough is sticky. Knead it with your hands on a work surface with a small amount of olive oil until it comes together.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise. When dough has doubled in size use a pastry scraper to remove dough from the sides of the bowl.
4. Lightly grease a large work surface with olive oil and gently gather the dough together. Roll it into a long rope and cut into 1-inch pieces. You should get about 18- 20 pieces out of this batch. (See notes)
5. Roll each piece of dough in your hand into a thin rope and then wrap into a circle with your fingers. If you want to do more of a traditional shape, try the “snail” shape where you gently wrap the dough into a loose like coil shape.
6. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once oil is ready, drop about 4 lalagia into the pan (you don’t want to overcrowd them) and cook until golden brown on both sides.
7. Place on plate lined with paper towel so excess oil can drain. Serve plain l or with powdered sugar and cinnamon powder. You can also serve with honey, cinnamon, and toasted walnuts.
8. I like to go savory with these too, and dip them into my spicy feta dip!

Notes:

• Please remember to use lukewarm water, if you use too hot of water it will kill your yeast.
• You can use honey or sugar in this recipe.
• You can use the kitchen aid mixer with the hook for this recipe or you can do this all by hand. The recipe above is by hand.
• You can make these ahead of time and place them into a sealed container. To make them crispy again, reheat inside a oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes covered in foil.
• Add a pinch of cinnamon powder to the dough mix to make it more flavorful.
• I fry in olive oil or vegetable oil. Both work just fine for this bread.
• If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour to the mix.
• Sprinkling in crumbled feta cheese or parmesan cheese is great too!
• Roll the ropes in sesame seed and this is so good!
• Make it more Maniati style by adding a teaspoon of orange zest to the dough mixture.
• If you get your ropes very thin, you will get the lalagia to look more like the ones in Mani. See photos below.

 

If you loved this recipe, please share on social media and tag us #cookingwithkouzounaskitchen. Many thanks!