Ladopsomo-Odyssey-Poros-Greece

Ladopsomo – Olive Oil Bread

Published on 2015/04/18 | In By
2 Comments

Ladopsomo is what my mother always warned me not to eat too much of: the heavenly combination of bread, preferably warm as in straight-from-the-oven, and fresh olive oil.

Protective crust

The ladopsomo is different from the other types of bread. I prepare my ladopsomo in its own baking dish drizzling it generously with freshly pressed oil from our olive trees. The olive oil creates a protective crust around the bread and gives it a full, deep flavor. The bad news for the calorie-careful amongst us is that ladopsomo is indeed richer in calories, the good news is that nobody really cares because it tastes delicious.

Freshly baked ladopsomo

I like making slight variations to the recipe, like sprinkling the top with chopped olives, fresh cherry tomatoes or sesame. Don’t be surprised if the bread is gobbled up even before it’s had a chance to cool completely. There is no need to describe the dozens of ways to serve this bread, personally I love to eat it warm and fragrant, with feta cheese, home pickled olives and fresh tomatoes, but you can use your own imagination.

You can make a large batch because the olive oil preserves the bread’s freshness for longer time. I don’t. For the simple reason that no matter how much I make, we would eat it almost straight from the oven. So just make a batch at a time – enough to enjoy freshly baked ladopsomo and not make me feel guilty about piling on calories.

Making-Ladopsomo

Katerina-making-Ladopsomo

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Dough-for-the-ladopsomo-Odyssey-Poros-Greece

Ladopsomo-fresh-out-of-the-oven-Odyssey-Poros-Greece

Different-kinds-of-Ladopsomo-Odyssey-Poros-Greece

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Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cup or 500 gr. all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat flour)
  • 1 cube or 30 gr. raw yeast or 1tbsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ cups or 100 ml olive oil
  • 11/4 cups or 300 ml tepid water
  • 1 tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 50C for about 15 minutes. Meantime, crush yeast with your fingers and place in a stainless steel mixing bowl; add ¼ cup or 100 ml warm water and stir to form a thick pulp.
  2. Combine flour with salt in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast mix and knead into a smooth, elastic dough, adding water as necessary.
  3. Pour about half the olive oil into a baking dish, turning so that it coats the entire bottom. Transfer dough to baking dish. Using your hands, spread evenly to fill the baking dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with plastic wrap and towel and let stand in the warm oven for 20-30 minutes to rise until double.
  4. Take out the oven - by now it has risen - and set it on a warm place. Heat oven to 400F or 200C. The olive oil allows the dough to relax and grow and helps it to not stick to the bottom of the baking dish and you get a crisp nearly fried bottom crust. Then drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top and sprinkle with sea salt, sesame, olives or what ever you love (or is available in the kitchen).
  5. Bake bread for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and let bread cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool.
  6. Kali orexi!!

2 Responses to Ladopsomo – Olive Oil Bread

  1. Pam Colborne 2015/04/19 at 02:09 #

    Absolutely love this recipe, Katerina and I have made it many times since I was at your cooking school in Greece!!! Delicious!

    And I love your blog. Keep up the good work. I look forward to whatever you decide to send.

    Your friend-

    Pam Colborne (Prince Edward Island, Canada!!!)

    Reply
    • Katerina 2015/04/28 at 11:20 #

      Dear Pam,

      I am so happy to hear that you have made Ladopsomo many times at home!! And thank you for your compliments about Katerina’s Kouzina! Is there a recipe that you would like to see on the blog? Let me know!

      Katerina

      Reply

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