Lepinje (Bosnian Pita Bread)

Pita bread is popular throughout the Mediterranean, and there are many variations on how to make it. Kemal is from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the pita bread they make there is a little thicker than the pita bread that’s made in Turkey and in the Middle East .

Lepinje, (pronounced lep-in-ya) is traditional Bosnian pita bread. It’s thick enough to use as a sandwich bread, and it tastes pretty much the same as pita bread made in other parts of the Mediterranean.

It’s very easy to make, doesn’t require a lot of kneading, and it also doesn’t require a long rise-time. It’s also a bread that freezes really well.

I can’t begin to tell you how delicious lepinje is and how wonderful it smells when it’s baking; you’ll just have to try this recipe and experience this yummy bread for yourself! It’s our favorite bread, and I make it all the time…usually a double (and sometimes a triple) batch.

Tonight we had our pita with chicken sausages and mashed potatoes. We were both starving so I took only a couple of quick pictures before we devoured most of it! A little oopsy-daisy…uh…I photographed the bottom side of the pita. My mistake. The top side is just a little less golden brown than the bottom.

Lepinje (Bosnian Pita Bread)

Adapted from the following source: www.coolinarika.com

Yield: 4 individual pitas

Note: The person posting the recipe at the source listed above does not list what kind of flour/how much flour she used. She basically said to use enough flour until you get the desired consistency. In addition, she said she used two glasses of water to make the bread, and since I wasn’t sure how large her glass was, I had to guess on the amount of water. The author of the recipe also didn’t use any oil, but other people who make lepinje do use oil in their bread so I decided to try some in mine.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• water

Instructions:

• Mix the yeast, sugar, and about 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a small cup or bowl. Set it aside and allow it to get foamy and rise up.
• Oil two baking pans and set them aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the bread flour and salt together.
• When the yeast has gotten foamy, add it, along with 2 1/2 tbsp. oil and about 1/2 cup of water to the flour, and mix well.
• Your dough is going to be too dry, but what you’re going to do is keep adding a little water at a time until the dough becomes a little sticky and all the flour is mixed in. If you put too much water in the dough and it’s too sticky, just add a little bit more flour.
• After you’ve mixed the ingredients, put the dough on a floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Use some of the oil on the bowl to oil the dough.
• Cover the dough with a plastic bag or plastic wrap. Then cover it with one or two towels.
• Set the dough aside in a warm place and let it rise until it doubles in bulk (about an hour or so depending on how warm your house is).
• After the dough has risen, place it on a floured surface and punch the air out.
• Knead the dough again for about 1 more minute.
• Separate the dough into balls. I separated mine into 4 balls because I didn’t want my pitas too small.
• Set the dough balls on one of the oiled pans. Brush them with just a little olive oil, and then cover them, letting them rest about 10 or 15 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Now you will roll out each dough ball on a floured surface with your rolling pin. Since Bosnian pita bread is thicker than other Mediterranean pitas, it’s rolled out so it will make a thicker bread. But really, it’s up to you how thick you roll it out.
• After you roll your dough balls out, place them on the greased baking sheets and then brush them with a little more olive oil.
• Cover them with the plastic wrap and a towel so they can rest for about 20-30 more minutes.
• Remove your plastic and the towel and put them in the oven to bake.
• After about 10 minutes, reduce the heat to about 350 degrees.
• Open the oven and check your pita at this point. The bottom of the pita will brown faster than the top. When the bottom of the pita is a golden brown, flip them over and continue baking.
• After 5-10 more minutes, open the oven and check the pita again. When the bottom of the pita is golden brown, they should be done. To be sure, poke the bread with a toothpick, and if it comes out clean, it’s done.

Note: I checked my pita frequently because they didn’t take long at all to bake and I didn’t want make the outside of the pita too crispy. The outside was golden and the bread was soft but firm. Kemal says my pita tastes like the pita bread that he grew up eating, and that makes me feel great!