Ladenia: Vegan Pizza-Style Flatbread from the Cyclades
These lovely little open-faced tomato and onion pies, called ladenia, are almost like pizza and make for what is arguably the best-known dish on Milos. They are typically made and sold by local bread bakers. Served with a fresh greens salad they make a great light lunch or buffet dish. To find some of the artisinal Greek products you'll need to make this, visit my online shop here, where you'll discover a host of lovingly curated Greek ingredients.
SERVES 6
Ingredients
- 1 packed active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups warm water or more as needed
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions cut into thin rings
- 1 large firm, ripe tomato, cored and diced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 160˚C /325˚F.
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In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and cover with a kitchen towel. Let stand for 5 minutes or until it starts to bubble. Combine the two flours and salt. Slowly add the flour to the yeast mixture, mixing with a wooden spoon until a dough mass forms. Add a little more water as needed if the mixture is too dense, or, add a little more flour if it is too loose. Knead in the bowl until smooth and pliant and the sides of the bowl come clean. This can also be done in a mixer with a dough hook on medium speed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour to rise.
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Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions for about 5 minutes or until they start to soften. Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from the heat.
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Oil a large, preferably square or rectangular baking pan. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the plan and place inside. Cover and let the dough rise for 15 minutes.
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Spread the tomato-onion mixture evenly over the dough. Season with salt, pepper and oregano and bake for about 1 hour or until the dough is crisp and the topping is caramelized. Remove, cool slightly and serve.