Bread typically eaten on Clean Monday, the first day of Easter Lent. Crispy and cruncy and with the aroma of the plentiful sesame seeds, it is very moreish and goes beautifully with all the non dairy, no meat, no fish kind of eating of this special day like olives, dips and veggies.
I added extra goodness here with the sunflower seed flour and added umami with the smoked tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 100g Shipton Mill Three Malts and Sunflower seed flour
- 250g Strong bread flour
- 200ml tepid water
- 14g dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1tsp salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and a little extra
- 5-6 smoked tomatoes, chopped
- Sesame seeds
Method
Start by diluting the yeast with the sugar, 50g strong flour and 150ml of tepid water in a bowl. Whisk and place the bowl somewhere warm to activate the yeast (when bubbles form on the surface and the volume doubles).
In a larger bowl, sift the rest of the strong flour, add the seed flour and salt. Stir to mix and make a well in the middle. Add the activated yeast and another 50ml of warm water slowly mixing with your hands until you form a dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Place the dough ball in a clean oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put somewhere warm to double in size.
When the dough has risen, transfer onto a work surface and knock the air out of it by kneading for a few seconds. Use oiled hands to spread it onto a baking tray lined with some greased paper as if you were making a pizza. Brush with a little water, press down the smoked tomato pieces so that they stick and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Leave in a warm place for the lagana to rise again.
Preheat the oven to 190 C fan and bake the lagana for 20-25 minutes. As soon as it comes out of the oven, spray it with a little water to give it a bit of a shine and add back some noisture.