Serbian / Balkan Lenten Bread (Posna Pogača) Recipe

Serbian / Balkan Lenten Bread (Posna Pogača) Recipe

This recipe for Serbian Lenten pogacha (POH-gah-cha), also spelled pogača, uses no eggs, milk, or butter, so it is perfect for fasting times, like the period before Christmas (Advent) and Easter (Lent). 

Christian Orthodox Great Lent, in general, is a time of great fasting and there are many rules on what types of oil, if any, can be consumed. This lean Lenten white bread fits well within the guidelines.

Compare this with a non-fasting pogacha recipe.

• Total: 90 mins
• Prep: 60 mins
• Cook: 30 mins
• Yield: 1 Loaf of bread (12 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water (warm, not more than 110 degrees)
• 1 package ​yeast (active dry)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)

Steps to Make It

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, sugar and oil and stir until completely mixed.
2. Add flour and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Knead until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a flat round. Transfer to a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Prick loaf all over with a fork. Rub top of bread with oil. Let stand, uncovered, 15 minutes in a warm place.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

A Word or Two About Pogacha

Pogača (Balkan spelling), Pogacha (Anglicized spelling), Pogácsa (Hungarian spelling), poğaça (Greek), pogaçe (Albanian) are all rustic leavened or unleavened breads made with white flour or whole-wheat flour or a mixture a combination of the two. Some breads have a potato or cheese filling and herbs like dill and sesame mixed in with the flour.

As you can imagine, every country, and every cook for that matter, makes pogacha its own way, so they can be found in different textures, flavors, sizes, and heights. Some have a crumbly scone-like texture while others are more like tender white bread.

In Bulgaria, where the bread is known as pogačice, it is more of a puff pastry affair and often served hot as an appetizer filled with sour cream or curd cheese or Bulgarian feta cheese. This is also popular in Turkey.

In Hungary, for example, pogácsa are made from either short dough or yeast dough. There are dozens of shapes and sizes with round being the most traditional.

A multitude of add-ins can be found either in the dough or on it, such as fresh cheese, aged cheese, pork crackling, sautéed cabbage, pepper, paprika, garlic, red onion, caraway, sesame, sunflower, or poppy seeds.

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
39	Calories
1g	Fat
7g	Carbs
1g	Protein

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Serbian Sweet Sauerkraut Salad With Oil

Serbian Sweet Sauerkraut Salad With Oil

This recipe for Serbian sweet sauerkraut salad features diced bell peppers, onion, and celery and is dressed in a neutral oil like canola or vegetable.

Compare this with an oil-free sauerkraut salad recipe. To reduce some of the tartness, you can drain the kraut and rinse it, if you desire, and then squeeze it dry.

This is best if made the day before and has a refrigerated shelf life of about 2 weeks. It's perfect for picnics and cookouts because mayonnaise, a portion of food with the potential of becoming hazardous when not refrigerated, isn't used. ​

• Total: 20 mins
• Prep: 20 mins
• Cook: 0 mins
• Refrigerate: 9 hrs
• Yield: 1 bowl (6-8 servings)

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1 quart (2 pounds) sauerkraut, drained (and rinsed, if desired) and squeezed dry
• 1 large chopped green or red or yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1/2 medium chopped onion
• 4 ribs chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

For the Dressing:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar or to taste
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup neutral oil like canola or vegetable

Steps to Make It

Make the Salad

1. In a large nonreactive bowl or plastic container with a lid, mix with sauerkraut, bell pepper, onion, celery, and pimiento.
2. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.

Make the Dressing

1. In a separate small nonreactive bowl or plastic container, combine sugar, vinegar, water, and oil, mixing well.
2. Toss with sauerkraut mixture until thoroughly combined. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
3. When ready to serve, remove as much of the marinating liquid as possible by using a slotted spoon to transfer the salad from the storage container to a serving bowl. Keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Making sauerkraut from scratch isn't as difficult as you might think. Probably the hardest part is shredding the cabbage and, with today's tools, that's not hard at all.

• German Sauerkraut Made in a Mason Jar Recipe: This easy, small-batch method of making sauerkraut in a Mason jar takes about three weeks to be at its salty-tart best.
• Croatian Soured Cabbage Heads Recipe: In this kiseli kupus recipe, whole heads of cabbage are soured in huge crocks or barrels for about 40 days. The leaves from these soured cabbages are often used to make sarma or cabbage rolls.

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
267	Calories
9g	Fat
46g	Carbs
2g	Protein

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Baked Beans Recipe for Serbian Prebranac

Baked Beans Recipe for Serbian Prebranac

This Serbian recipe for baked beans or prebranac is perfect for Lent or other fasting times in the Orthodox Christian tradition because it contains no meat, butter, eggs or milk, which are prohibited.
This dish is as much starch as it is vegetable and can be served as a vegetarian main course or side dish.

• Total: 105 mins
• Prep: 15 mins
• Cook: 90 mins
• Yield: 1 pound (6 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 pound beans
• 1/4 cup plus 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoons dill (fresh or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 5 large onions (chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 can/16 ounces tomato sauce (with bits of tomato)
• 2 teaspoons paprika (sweet or hot)
• salt to taste
• black pepper (to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups water

Steps to Make It

1. Pick over beans and rinse. Place beans in 4 quarts water. When it comes to a boil, skim off any foam that rises to the top. Add salt to taste, 1/4 cup oil and 1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh dill. Simmer until beans are tender. Drain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350 F. In a large Dutch oven or lidded casserole dish or roaster, heat 3/4 cup oil and sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until onions are tender. Add tomato sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste, dill to taste and water. Mix in the beans, cover and bake 45 minutes, adding more water, if necessary.

Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
565	Calories
29g	Fat
62g	Carbs
19g	Protein

3.     See Full Nutritional Guidelines

4.     (Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)