Ladenia Kimolou: Ancient Greek Pizza

The ancient Greek pizza known as Ladenia Kimolou is the original pizza made by the beautiful people of Kimolos island in Greece. It has a flatbread base with vegan toppings. No dairy, cheese, or feta. It’s so flavorful, delicious, and can be served in so many different ways. It’s easy to make, and I can’t wait for you to try it!

What Is Ladenia Kimolou?

Ladenia is a traditional specialty of Kimolos, a small Greek island in the Cyclades. It’s a rustic, focaccia-like flatbread topped with fresh tomatoes, onions, oregano, and olive oil.

You’ll sometimes hear ladenia described as an ancient Greek pizza or one of Greece’s earliest versions of pizza. I prefer to simply call it a traditional Greek pizza or flatbread from Kimolos. The tomato-topped version we know today couldn’t literally be ancient since tomatoes arrived in Europe much later.

Whatever you call it, this is Greek simplicity at its best: good bread, ripe vegetables, oregano, and lots of extra virgin olive oil!

You’ll want to make this every week!

Crispy crust

Soft bread center

Caramelized onions with sweet roasted tomatoes.

Can be the entrée or a side!!

What is the best pan to use for Ladenia Kimolou?

The pan you choose will change the texture and thickness of your ladenia.

My favorite is a 16-inch round metal pizza pan. It gives the ladenia a beautiful round shape and a wonderful balance between a fluffy center and crispy edges.

For a thicker, softer ladenia, you can use a large cast-iron skillet. Keep in mind that the smaller surface area means the dough will be considerably thicker.

If you prefer a thinner, crispier Greek pizza, spread the dough onto a half-sheet baking pan.

The exact baking time can vary slightly depending on the size and material of your pan, so use the color and texture of the crust as your guide.

This is why Ladenia Kimolou is so good

Lukewarm water

Granulated sugar

All-purpose flour

Bread flour

Salt – Salt is a big yeast killer. Never put salt directly into your yeast water.

Olive oil –use a good quality since it flavors your bread.

Tomatoes sliced into wedges

Red onion

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Dried crushed oregano

How to prepare the yeast

You’ll start by dissolving the yeast in 2 cups of lukewarm water with sugar and a little all-purpose flour. The sugar and flour will feed the yeast to help it get started. Rarely will your yeast be bad. However, if you don’t take this step to make sure your yeast is active, you may have to throw everything out, wasting all of your ingredients. So, you don’t want to skip this step.

Set it aside for about 8-10 minutes until the mixture gets foamy. If it doesn’t foam or have a cloud on top, start again with new yeast. If it does foam, that’s how you know your yeast is good, your bread will rise, and it will be nice and fluffy.

How to make the Ancient Greek Pizza Ladenia Kimolou

In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that has been fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the water, yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup of flour.

Mix it together and let it sit for 8-10 minutes to proof. The yeast is ready when it forms a cloud at the top of the mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the bread flour and salt.

Once the yeast is ready, add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and the quarter cup of olive oil. Knead on low speed for 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set it aside in the warmest part of your home to rise until doubled in volume. About 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °C.

Grease a 12-inch (30 cm) round pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking tray with olive oil.

Spread the dough onto the prepared pan and set it aside while you prepare the topping.

Add the tomato and onion to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Toss together and place the veggies on top of the dough.

Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Does Traditional Ladenia Have Cheese?

No! Traditional Ladenia Kimolou is made without cheese.

That’s part of what makes this recipe so delicious. Instead of relying on cheese or sauce, the flavor comes from ripe tomatoes, sweet onions, oregano, olive oil, and freshly baked bread.

That said, I’m never going to stop you from adding cheese!

Feta is delicious on ladenia, and you can also add mozzarella or another cheese that you love. Just keep in mind that once you start adding different toppings, you’re moving away from the traditional Kimolos version—which is perfectly fine in my kitchen!

Topping Ideas

Once you’ve made the traditional version, have fun with it.

Crumbled feta

Mozzarella

Kalamata olives

Roasted red peppers

Fresh peppers

Capers

Fresh herbs

Chili flakes

Any of your favorite pizza toppings.

You can even divide the dough and make different sections with different toppings if everyone wants something different.

Tips for the Best Ladenia

Slice the tomatoes thinly. Thick tomatoes can release a lot of liquid and make the top of the dough too wet.

Use plenty of olive oil. This isn’t the recipe to skimp on it. Olive oil gives ladenia its characteristic flavor and helps create that gorgeous golden crust.

Don’t forget the semolina. A little semolina on the bottom of the oiled pan adds texture and helps prevent sticking.

Let the dough rise fully. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this may take anywhere from 1-2 hours.

Give the dough a rest if it fights you. If it keeps shrinking back while you’re stretching it into the pan, leave it alone for 5-10 minutes. The gluten will relax and it will become much easier to stretch.

Move it to the top rack at the end. I bake mine for 25 minutes on the middle rack and then another 10 minutes on the top rack. That final blast of heat helps beautifully roast the vegetables and brown the top.

Choose your pan based on the crust you like. Use a cast-iron skillet for thicker ladenia, a large metal pizza pan for something in between, or a half-sheet pan for a thinner crust.

There are so many different ways to serve this ancient Greek pizza! First, it can be served hot or at room temperature. It’s delicious either way. I like to cut it on a cutting board into wedges, especially when using a round pan. It looks so pretty. Cut it however you like, though.

Second, you don’t have to serve this as a delicious pizza meal with a side salad. I want to eat this in the morning with some eggs, or you could even use it as dipping bread for a stew! It’s so versatile. Let me know how you serve it!