You don’t have to wait all morning for homemade langos. This yogurt dough is prepared in the evening, left to slowly rise overnight in the fridge, and the next day you simply shape the flatbreads and fry them until golden. Thanks to the yogurt, the langos are beautifully soft and fluffy, crispy on the outside and tender inside.
You can serve them the classic way with garlic, ketchup, and cheese, but they taste just as good with just sour cream or tartar sauce. You can also keep the dough in the fridge for several days and fry only as many langos as you need at the moment.
What you’ll need:
For fluffy yogurt dough (a generous batch for the whole family):
- Plain flour: 1 kg (sifted)
- Plain yogurt: 2 x 150 g (total 300 g – ideally classic semi-fat or Greek)
- Milk: 0.5 liter (lukewarm, 100 ml for the yeast starter)
- Fresh yeast: 1 cube (42 g)
- Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
- Vegetable oil: 1 tablespoon for the dough + plenty for deep frying
- Granulated sugar: 1 teaspoon (for the yeast starter)
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
For traditional topping and generous garnish:
- Garlic topping: several cloves of garlic mashed with salt, diluted with a little lukewarm water
- For decorating to taste: quality ketchup, real tartar sauce, grated cheese (Edam or Gouda)
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Starting the yeast base: Pour about 100 ml of the prepared lukewarm milk into a small bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and crumble in the whole cube of fresh yeast. Mix gently with a fork and set the bowl in a warm place. Let the yeast starter rise for about 10 to 15 minutes, until a thick, fluffy foam forms on the surface.
2. Mixing the slightly sticky dough: In a large deep bowl, add the kilogram of sifted plain flour and mix it with a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of salt. Make a well in the center, add both yogurts, pour in the remaining lukewarm milk, one tablespoon of oil, and the risen yeast starter. Combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hands (the dough will be a bit sticky at this stage, which is fine because of the yogurt).
3. Kneading and working the dough: Generously dust your work surface with flour, turn out the sticky dough, and knead it vigorously by hand. Work until you have a beautifully smooth, elastic, and supple dough that no longer sticks to your hands or the surface.
4. Overnight rising in the cold fridge: Transfer the finished dough to a large clean sealable bowl (or a sturdy bag greased with oil, leaving enough space for air), seal tightly and place in the fridge to rise overnight. During the night, the dough develops a deep aroma and the yogurt blends with the gluten.
5. Acclimatizing and shaping the flatbreads: Before frying, take the dough out of the fridge, divide it into smaller balls the size of a tennis ball, and let them rest on a floured surface for about 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Then, gently stretch each ball with your fingers from the center outwards into a thin flatbread with slightly raised edges.
6. Slow frying until crispy: Heat a generous layer of vegetable oil in a deep pan over steady medium heat. Carefully place the prepared flatbread into the hot oil (the dough will instantly form big bubbles). Fry for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden. Place the finished langos on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
7. Delicious serving: While still hot and crispy, immediately brush the langos with the prepared garlic topping, decorate with ketchup or tartar sauce, and generously sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve immediately.
Proven tips for the best result:
- Storing dough in the fridge: If you don’t use the whole kilo of flour at once, this yogurt dough will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days for quick use anytime during the week.
- Oil temperature test: Test the oil temperature by dropping in a small piece of dough – if the oil bubbles wildly and the dough floats up, it’s ready.
- Magic of yogurt: The presence of plain yogurt in the dough guarantees incredible softness and tenderness inside, while the edges stay wonderfully crispy.
