135Fried bread

Method

Pan-fried feta stuffed flatbread. Yields 4 substantial filled flatbreads.

You will need

• mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• wide heavy frying pan
• slotted spatula
• paper towels

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, dried yeast, fine sea salt, one tablespoon of olive oil, and the tepid water. 3 min Ready when: soft, pliable dough forms
2. Knead on a lightly floured board until silky and soft, then cover and rest in a warm spot until doubled. 50 min Ready when: dough becomes puffy and airy
3. In a small bowl, lightly toss the crumbled feta with cracked black pepper and dried oregano. 2 min Ready when: cheese is seasoned and ready
4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, flatten each into a thick 12 cm disc, and place a quarter of the feta into the centre. 4 min Ready when: filling sits centrally on each dough round
5. Gather the edges over the cheese, pinch tightly to seal like a purse, then gently roll or press with oiled hands into an even 18 cm flat disc. 5 min Ready when: flat disc is formed without tearing the dough open
6. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. 2 min Ready when: oil ripples and sizzles upon contact
7. Fry one bread at a time, turning once, until deeply blistered, golden brown, and cooked through to the centre. 6 min Ready when: both sides show crisp golden patches and the bread puffs up
8. Drain on kitchen paper for a minute, add more oil to the pan as needed, fry the remaining breads, and serve immediately warm. 2 min Ready when: crust remains audibly crisp and cheese inside is softened

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Make ahead and storing

Dough can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before shaping and frying.

Best eaten hot from the pan; leftovers can be recrisped in a dry skillet for 1 day.

Substitutions

• dry mizithra or anthotyros mixed with kasseri for feta. Produces a milder, gooier melted filling.

Common mistakes

• Rolling the dough out too vigorously and tearing the pocket.. Escaping feta will burn fiercely in the frying pan and taint the frying oil.
• Frying in oil that is not hot enough.. The dough absorbs excessive grease and turns heavy instead of light and blistered.

Regional variants

• Thessalian yeast-free version using baking soda and Greek yoghurt
• Epirote herb version incorporating fresh mint and wild fennel fronds into the feta

About the dish

Tiganopsomo is the quick bread of the Greek countryside, traditionally conjured by home cooks using spare bread dough or mixed spontaneously in a bowl. Stuffed simply with crumbled feta, herbs, and occasionally a splash of vinegar or raki to crisp the surface, the dough rounds are rolled flat and shallow-fried in olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Eaten hot straight from the skillet for breakfast or alongside evening drinks, it exemplifies the resourcefulness of agrarian Greek cooking.

Found in all of Greece, Thessaly, Peloponnese, Thrace. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Mekitsa (Bulgarian). Kneaded yeast dough flatbreads deep-fried and served with sirene cheese or jam.
• Bazlama (Turkish). A soft pan-cooked flatbread sometimes enriched or stuffed with cheese and herbs.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

648 kcal · protein 16.6 g · fat 33.5 g (saturated 10.7 g) · carbohydrate 69.3 g (sugars 2.3 g) · fibre 2.7 g · sodium 951 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. The pan-fried shepherd flatbread tradition found across central and northern Greek mainland villages..

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