Learn how to make langos, a tasty fried Hungarian bread that is best enjoyed warm. To simplify the recipe, instant yeast and a stand mixer are used to make the dough.
A trip to Hungary would not be complete without tasting their street food favorite – lángos (pronounce langosh). And even though now traveling might be challenging for many of you, this does not mean you can’t enjoy this fried bread dough at home!
The classic langosh is brushed with garlic first, then topped with sour cream and cheese.
However, these days you can find all kinds of extras and variations to the classic langos recipe in Hungary, especially in the touristy areas: from bacon to roasted peppers to salami, Mexican-style, even langos burgers…
My tip: if you can start with the traditional Hungarian langos first. It’s so worth it!
A few facts:
- Deep fried bread is popular not only in Hungary and its neighboring countries, but also in Greece and Turkey.
- The name for Hungarian langosh comes from the word láng which means flame.
- Some countries and cuisines enjoyed this deep fried bread either sweet or savory.
Tips for making langos flatbread at home:
- For frying, you can use a skillet/frying pan or a Dutch oven. You will need about 2 cups of oil. When I use a skillet, I prefer using less oil, as not to over-fill it.
- The oil temperature may vary slightly. For me, medium-high works well, but I do adjust this (usually, the first needs a higher temperature, while the next ones need lower).
- Crushed garlic mixed with a little oil (I use olive oil as it is better for you than the rest of them) is spread over, followed by sour cream and shredded cheese. This is the best, but I also like to use a bit of ketchup (just a small amount). You can also use melted garlic butter.
- Note that because langos is deep-fried, it is definitely not a healthy meal. For that reason, it should be enjoyed moderately.
- You can’t use air-fryer nor oven to make this langosh bread.
Portion size:
This homemade langos recipe yields 4 good-sized flatbreads. If making these for kids, I recommend dividing the langos dough into 8 pieces to make smaller portions. You can serve 1 per kid (and have extras for anyone who would like seconds).
Guys, if you do give it a go, please let me know how you liked it!
More street food recipes from around the world you might like to try:
Beef Koftas – A Greek street food favorite made with ground beef.
Calzone – Italian pizza pocket.
Sushi – Once a street food, now a popular Japanese restaurant food!
Churros – Spanish street food classic, always served with a cup of chocolate for dipping.
This is an old post that has been recently updated with new step-by-step photos and instructions for a stand mixer.
Langos
Ingredients
For langos dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (280 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk (250 ml)
For frying:
- oil for frying, see note 1
Toppings:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , to taste, see note 2
- sour cream
- shredded cheese , to taste, see note 3
- ketchup (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, salt and sugar. Mix with a spoon. Add yeast. Mix again. Add milk and give it a quick mix with a spoon again.
- With bread attachment, mix on low speed for a few minutes (about 3-4) or until well combined (see note 4).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and clean kitchen towel. Let it proof in a warm place until doubled in size (45-60 minutes, see note 5).
- When ready, transfer the dough onto a well-floured work top. Divide into 4 equally-looking pieces.
- Form a ball out of each piece.
- Roll out with a rolling pin (about ¼-inch/0.5-centimeters thick and about 7-inch/17-centimeter in diameter).
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil.
- When hot, add one rolled flatbread in. Fry for about a minute before turning it over (use kitchen tongs) and fry for a further minute.
- Langos should be nice golden brown, but some pale spots are fine.
- Place each fried bread onto a few sheets of paper kitchen towel to get rid of any excess oil.
- Spread each with a mixture of crushed garlic & olive oil.
- Top with sour cream and shredded cheese.
- Enjoy warm!
Notes
- For frying use any mild-flavored oil with a high smoke point (I don’t recommend using olive oil). For a 5-quart (5-liter) Dutch oven you will need at least 2 cups of oil. If using a skillet/frying pan, you might need less.
- Instead of mixing oil and crushed garlic, you can use melted garlic butter.
- It is entirely up to you how much of each topping you use!
- The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Proofing time may vary depending on your kitchen’s temperature. It can be somewhere between 40-60 minutes. Sometimes even more.
- Nutritional information does not include toppings.
Edit says
A great recipe easy to follow . Great for picnics
Jenn says
I’m in love! I hadn’t had langos since I was a kid and thought I’d never see them again, but this recipe – wow! It is perfect and I’ve made them a few times now and they always turn out perfectly! Thanks for helping me recreate a childhood memory!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome!
Katherine says
Oh wow! This fried bread looks absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to try it.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I hope you like it as much as we do! :)
Natalie says
My mom used to make me this when I was a kid. I totally forgot about this recipe. Thanks for a reminder. I will make langos for my family and see how they like it. Looks delicious!
Beth says
Oh my goodness this looks so delicious and interesting! I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Enjoy!
Ildiko says
Dear Julia, this recipe is perfect!
I grew up in Romania, and langos is street food there. I had it as a kid on market days.
Thank you for sharing. I made it few times and my daughter and my husband love it as much as I do.
Thank you and keep the recipes coming!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Ildiko. I am so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it!Thank you for your comment and rating.
Susan Klein says
Looks delicious! I will be trying it! Thank you for sharing
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome! :)
Katarina says
Hi do you put the instant yeast with lukewarm milk first for it to bubble and activate?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Katarina. If you use instant yeast, you don’t need to do it. If using active dry yeast, then you need to do it. If not sure what kind you have, I would activate the yeast. It’s better be safe than sorry. Hope this helps.
maddison says
What temperature does the oil need to be on ?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Maddison. I don’t really check the temperature. What I do is I throw a tiny piece of the dough inside to see if it is ready. If it bubbles right away and turns brown, it is ready. However, they say the temperature for deep-frying is 350 – 370 Fahrenheit (180 -190 Celsius). Hope this helps.
Carolyn says
I remember making this with my mum when I was a child. This recipe is so easy and the Langos turned out exactly as I remembered! I’ve sent the recipe to the whole family, as well as a photo commentary of every step 😋 thank you 🙏🏻
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Carolyn! Langos is our favorite deep-fried food so it’s always good to hear that our readers enjoy it too! Especially when it tastes like they remembered. Happy Langos Making! :)
Paul Reid says
I made this for dinner last night. Was absolutely amazing. Thank you for the recipe
Steffanie Stamos says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. We used to buy these at German festivals when we were stationed there. What type of cheese do you suggest?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Steffanie. My favorite is cheddar but I often use shredded mozzarella as well. I’d say freshly grated gouda will also be delicious. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! :)
Elly says
Can you use a fryer instead of oil on stove?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Elly. Yes, absolutely! Deep fryer will work just fine.
Harry Gounopoulos says
In Greece we call it τηγανοψωμο tiganopsomo.(Frιied bread) The word “ψωμι” is Bread.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I haven’t noticed it when visiting but I will have a look next time we get the chance to get there. Thanks for letting us know!
Ali says
Hi, can you freeze this dough for later?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Ali. I haven’t tried freezing it as my recipe yields a small batch only. However, I would say that it should be ok. One thing to remember is that its consistency may change once thawed – it can be way too soft to work with so additional flour might be needed. Not sure if this affects its elasticity and texture once cooked. Hope this helps.
Wendy M Lyon says
I have made this recipe many times. It always turns out great. Today I had the idea to make mini pizzas out of it. I fried the dough as usual, topped it with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and Italian sausage, Put it in the oven at 500 degrees until the cheese melted and the sauce was bubbly. Best mini pizzas I have ever made!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Oh that sounds delicious, Wendy. Thanks so much for your feedback and rating!
Andrew says
Just made these, were very nice. I have only ever had them in Sweden where they are very popular, they often top them with sour cream, prawns and caviar. Will definitely be make these again.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Andrew. Thanks so much for your feedback and rating! I had no idea they make these in Sweden too so thanks for letting us know. I will try their version when I visit Sweden!