Serbian Flatbread Lepinja Recipes

LEPINJA (SERBIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Stir the warm water and sugar into the yeast mixture.
• Stir the flour and salt together in a separate bowl; add all but about 1/2 cup of the flour mixture to the yeast mixture; mix with your hands until a soft dough forms, adding the last of the flour mixture a little at a time until it clears the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a light cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate, or 'punch down,' the dough and turn out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour; knead for about 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover again with a light cloth, and allow the dough to again rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes more.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Deflate the dough and turn turn out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour; knead lightly. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet; shape into an oval about 1/2-inch thick. Set aside to rise a third time for about 30 minutes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until nicely browned and hollow sounding when thumped, 20 to 25 minutes.

LEPINJA

Steps:

• In mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except salt. Using the hook accessory, knead on medium speed and gradually incorporate milk and water.
• After a couple minutes, incorporate salt. Knead for 5 minutes at low speed and 3 minutes at medium speed until the dough gets a little sticky.
• Place the dough in a large container, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, until it doubles in size.
• On a floured surface, work the dough with the palm of your hands for a couple minutes, then put it in the large container, cover and let it rise in a warm place for another 45 minutes.
• Divide the dough into pieces of approximately ½ lb (230g). On a floured surface, work each piece of dough with the palm of your hands again, then form balls and let rise for 10 minutes.
• Flatten each piece of dough with the palm of the hand. If necessary, finish with a roll pin to level but without much pressure. Cut slits on each loaf and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 410F/210C. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Lower the temperature to 300F/150C, and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
• Take the lepinja out of the oven, wrap the loaves with a cloth and let them cool off for 10 minutes so the crust softens.

SERBIAN ĆEVAPI U LEPINJA SA KAJMAKOM (KEBABS IN FLAT BREAD WITH KAYMAK)

Steps:

• Cut the meat into 1" cubes to go through your meat grinder. Grind all the meat together and run through your grinder twice.
• Add salt and pepper to the meat mixture and mix thoroughly
• Form the meat into small size sausages a little bigger than your thumb and about 3 inches long. (you can do this preparation ahead of time and have them rest in the refrigerator, overnight is okay as long as they are covered.)
• Grill the kebabs over hardwood coals on a BBQ for the best flavor. You can use a small amount of cooking oil to baste the kebabs and keep them from sticking to your grill.
• When the kebabs are almost finished cooking, warm the flat bread on the grill.
• Take off the flat bread Lipinja, smear with the Kaymak, put several kebabs on the bread and top with onions, crushed red peppers and parsley.
• Instructions for the Lepinja (Serbian Flat Bread)
• Pour the flour into a large bowl making a dent in the middle. Put the Yeast and sugar and salt in the dent.
• Add the warm water and knead it to make a soft dough. Mix 5- 10 minutes until you see airy bubbles.
• Once you are happy with the dough, pour 1-2 teaspoons of cooking oil around the edges of the dough, making sure the oil surrounds the dough in the bowl.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it until the dough rises.
• When the dough rises, slowly turn it over and let it rise again, repeat this process two more times.
• After the last rise, take the dough out of the bowl and place on a floured surface, divide into four equal balls.
• Put floured parchment paper on a baking tray
• Place each floured ball onto the tray
• Let rest for 10 minutes then shape each lepinja by spreading out the dough into a circle and poke with a fork many times.
• Baste the top of each lapinja with the egg yolk.
• Put the baking tray into the oven at 440 degrees , they should take about 15-20 minutes to until they are golden brown.
• Put into a kitchen towel to keep soft when finished.
• NOTE: If you need to make some Kaymak
• Kaymak is a creamy dairy product. It is made from cow or sheep's milk. If you cannot find Kaymak, combine 1 part sour cream, with 1 part softened cream cheese, and ½ part feta. Mash up feta and blend all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve at room temperature.