Serbian Easter Bread (Uskršnja Pogača)

It’s the centerpiece of the Serbian Easter table and it’s sometimes topped with colorful Easter eggs. Enjoy this traditional Serbian Easter bread recipe as it’s absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

• 200 ml warm milk
• 1/2 cube fresh yeast
• 4 – 5 tablespoons sugar about 80 g or to taste
• 500 g flour type 550
• 1 sachet baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100 g yogurt
• 80 g soft butter
• 1 egg yolk use egg white for coating
• 1 tsp sesame/poppy seeds for garnish, optional

Instructions

• Line a springform pan (26 cm/ ~10 inches diameter) with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.
• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the milk. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for 4-5 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise for about 15 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 3 balls. One of them should be a little smaller, which will be the middle one for the braid, so that it doesn't rise so much. Divide the middle ball into 3 parts, form them into 3 strands of equal length and braid them into a pigtail and press them together a bit. Place in the center of the springform pan and brush with the egg white.
• Roll out 1 more ball and cut out 12 circles, overlap each 4 circles slightly and roll up. Cut in the middle – now you have 2 roses, shape the roses a bit by bending the leaves a bit. Add the remaining dough to the last ball, form 16 balls, and place them all around the springform pan. Put roses on the braid and brush everything with egg white. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds, if like.
• Bake the Easter bread in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) top/bottom heat for about 20-25 minutes until golden and let it cool on a cooling rack.
• After you remove from the oven, let sit in the pan for 15 minutes.
• Remove the sides of the pan. Brush with butter on top and on the sides. Cover with a towel and allow to cool completely.

Notes

For more traditional Serbian dishes, check out our round-up of the most popular Serbian foods.