Lisnata Pogača
Lisnata pogača (lee-sna-ta | po-ga-cha) has been one of my favorite breads that before this, I had never made myself. During certain special occasions, my aunt would surprise us with this piece of heaven. I would say it’s a cross between brioche and croissant in both the ingredients and methods. I promise it’s easier to make than to pronounce (for non native speakers) 😁.
Making bread has become one of my favorite things to do. If I’m being honest, making traditional Serbian recipes is something I am trying to do more and more as a way to enjoy childhood foods but more importantly feel connected to who I am. And if you know me, being Serbian is what I know best 😁.
There are many YouTube videos that are wonderful for learning how to make this. I decided to go with a video that has English subtitles (because why not make it as easy as possible the first time round). If you prefer a more standard bread look, YouTube has got you covered with recipes. I also really appreciate the look of this one and how it breaks off.
Ingredients:
300 ml warm milk
200 ml water
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of salt
50 ml vegetable oil
10 gr active dry yeast
1 egg
250 gr of butter or margarine (I used unsalted butter)
6-7 cups of flour
Directions:
1. Mix yeast, sugar and one tablespoon of flour in warm milk in a giant bowl. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes for the yeast to work.
2. Place butter in the freezer until you are ready to use it in a later step.
3. Once the yeast has risen, add a 1/2 cup of flour and mix with a wooden spoon (or any other mixing spoon you have).
4. Add the 200ml of water, almost all the oil (leave a little for later), salt and more flour (1-2 cups) and again work well with a by hand.
5. Continue to add the flour (up to the 7 cups) gradually until a smooth dough that does not stick to your hands is kneaded.
6. Pour the remaining oil over the dough, cover it in a bowl with a cloth and leave it to proof for about an hour.
7. Place the dough on a work surface, sprinkle with a little flour and knead gently.
8. Divide into approximately 5 equal parts.
9. Shape each piece into a ball. You will have to work quick as the dough will become tougher, and will not stretch as easily.
10. Once you have created 5 balls of dough that case, leave them for 10 minutes.
11. Take out the chilled butter and divide it into 6 equal parts. Put aside one part as it will be needed later.
12. Stretch all 5 balls in a circle, approximately 25 to 30 cm in diameter.
13. Use 4 parts (pieces) of butter and grate them into 4 sections of the dough that you stack on top of each other. Example: Dough, butter, dough, butter, dough, butter, dough, butter. Place the fifth piece of the dough on top and press down with your hand so that everything is smoothed out. Flip it 3 times.
14. Sprinkle with a lot of flour on both the upper and lower sides. Then with a rolling pin, create ridges on the dough in sections both horizontally and vertically, turning and repeating the procedure 2-3 times. (Do not roll the dough flat as creating the ridges will help with spreading the butter).
15. After creating the ridges, roll out the dough (more horizontally than vertically).
16. After rolling out the dough to about 5 mm thickness and length and width of hand to elbow, take the fifth piece of butter and grate it on the entire surface of the dough and roll the dough into a log.
17. Cut off the ends, some 5-6 cm and leave aside as it will be placed in the middle of the pan.
18. Once the ends have been cut, cut the whole roll with a sharp knife into 1 cm thick rings.
19. Using a 10 in Springform pan, use the remaining butter to coat the pan.
20. Arrange the rings in a circle so that each one rests on the half of the previous one. In the middle, put the two ends that you cut off earlier and the few smallest rings that you have left.
21. Set your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
22. Cover the pan with a cloth and leave to proof while you wait for the oven to heat up.
23. Melt any remaining butter, and let it cool a bit, then add the egg and beat well.
24. With a small brush, coat the bread with this mixture . Sprinkle with seeds as desired.
24. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden.
