Easy Greek Pizza Dough (Zymi gia Lathenia)

By
Nancy Gaifyllia
Nancy Gaifyllia
A resident of Greece, Nancy Gaifyllia is a cook who writes about the country's regional specialties.
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Updated on 06/8/21
Greek Pizza Dough

Diana Miller / Getty Images

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 18-inch pizza

Pizzas are called lathenia or ladenia in Greece (pronounced lah-THEN-yah) and they're home-cooking favorites. This Greek pizza dough recipe is simple, but easy doesn't mean substandard. The dough creates a fabulous pizza crust using self-rising flour—you can make your own if you don't have any on hand. It's just a matter of adding some baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour.

After you've prepared the dough, finish off your pizza with a Mediterranean flair or grill your pizza as the Greeks do. Here's what you'll need to do to get started. 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups self-rising flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 1/4 cups milk

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F (300 C). 

  2. Make the dough by combining the self-rising flour, salt, butter, and milk. Knead for 20 minutes and set aside until the oven has fully preheated. You can use this time to prepare your toppings. The dough will start to rise.

  3. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Brush it lightly with olive oil before adding the toppings. 

  4. Bake until your toppings are melted and the dough is cooked through about 15 to 20 minutes. 

  5. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

  • This recipe makes enough for one 18-inch pizza, two 9-inch pizzas or three 6-inch pizzas.
  • You can let pizza dough sit overnight in the refrigerator rather than knead it if the fridge temperature is no warmer than 40 F. This makes dough stretchy—enzymes break down the long flour proteins and the shorter ones will naturally weave together into gluten, creating those "bubbles" in pizza dough.
  • Alternatively, you can let the dough rise at room temperature for up to two hours if preparing the topping takes longer than expected. But keep in mind that the longer the dough sits, the more likely it is to develop a slightly sour taste. The U.S.D.A. recommends against consuming any food containing a milk product that's sat at room temperature for too long. 

Recipe Variation

  • Add feta cheese to your mixture for a traditional Greek topping, but don't use it in lieu of mozzarella. Mix about a cup of mozzarella to 3/4 cup of feta. 
  • Add a little chopped spinach—about 5 ounces—to your filling for another traditional Greek touch. 
  • Consider using a pizza stone rather than a skillet or baking sheet to cook your pizza. They're not expensive and you'll end up with a much more "professional" dough. Simply place the stone in the oven before you preheat it, then place the pizza on top of the stone when it's warmed. This cooks the pizza as though it was baked in a brick oven. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
214 Calories
7g Fat
32g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 214
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 703mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 173mg 13%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 88mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)