Lepinja Bread, Croatian Flatbread, is a crusty bread with a lovely crumb that is perfect to be served with any dish. It is a great bread to soak up any flavor that we serve it with.
Doing the A to Z International flatbread has been such a big exposure to baking breads. Just the basic flour, yeast and water can be of such a different flavor depending on the method we use to proof it and bake it.
This Croatian Flatbread, is one such flatbread that I had so much fun baking. The Lepinja bread had the most beautiful crumb and it was so airy and porous.
This Lepinja bread went through a 3 rise cycle instead of the regular 2 rise. This allowed the bread to have a beautiful flavor and also gave it the wonderful texture.
I also used steam when baking. Using steam when baking has become one of my personal favorite method to bake breads. It is so simple to attain that rustic crust when using steam.
Lepinja bread which is also called as Somun, is a popular street food in the Balkans region, especially Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia. The bread can be served with any kind of dishes as it can absorb any flavor it is served with.
Lepinja bread is baked at a very high temperature that gives it the amazing rise, somewhat like a pita bread. My son thought it was great bread to slice in between and make it as a sandwich bread. So, the options are unlimited as to how you want to serve the Lepinja bread. Use it for a sandwich or serve with soups and stew to soak up all the flavor.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
E for Emirati Khameer
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme
H for Himbasha
I for Indian Fry Bread
J for Janta Roti
K for Ka'ak
Preparation time - 15 minutes plus about 3 to 4 hours of rising time
Baking time - About 6 to 8 minutes per batch
Difficulty level - Intermediate
Recipe adapted from - A Spicy Perspective
Ingredients to make Lepinja Bread | Croatian Flatbread - Makes 6
- Bread Flour - 3 cups
- Active Dry yeast - 1 ½ tsp
- Sugar - 1 TBSP
- Milk - ⅓ cup
- Warm water - 1 cup (may need more or less)
- Salt - 1 ¼ tsp
Procedure to make Lepinja Bread | Croatian Flatbread -
Making the Dough -
- In a small bowl, add the warm milk along with sugar and yeast. Mix well and let the mixture proof for about 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, the mixture will appear frothy and bubbly.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast mixture, ½ cup of warm water and salt. Add the flour and start kneading.
- Add more water to make a very soft dough. The dough will be quite sticky. Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes and then let it rise for about an hour or until doubled in volume. I love using the proof setting in my oven to rise the dough.
- Once the dough has risen, bring it out and punch it down gently. Now using the stand mixer or your hands knead the dough for coupe of more minutes and then let it rise again until doubled in volume. This time it took me only about 45 minutes for the dough to rise.
Shaping and Baking the Lepinja -
- Once the dough has risen for the second time, place the dough on a heavily floured surface.
- Using well floured hands, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make a ball out of each piece of dough and Place it on the prepared sheet.
- Press down on each ball to flatten it and let the dough rise again for 20 to 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 550 F. Place a tray filled with water in the bottom most shelf of the oven when it is preheating.
- Once the dough has risen for the 3rd time, place it in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes or until the Lepinja bread is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Lepinja Bread | Croatian Flatbread
Ingredients
- Bread Flour - 3 cups
- Active Dry yeast - 1 ½ tsp
- Sugar - 1 TBSP
- Milk - ⅓ cup
- Warm water - 1 cup may need more or less
- Salt - 1 ¼ tsp
Instructions
Making the Dough -
- In a small bowl, add the warm milk along with sugar and yeast. Mix well and let the mixture proof for about 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, the mixture will appear frothy and bubbly.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast mixture, ½ cup of warm water and salt. Add the flour and start kneading.
- Add more water to make a very soft dough. The dough will be quite sticky. Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes and then let it rise for about an hour or until doubled in volume. I love using the proof setting in my oven to rise the dough.
- Once the dough has risen, bring it out and punch it down gently. Now using the stand mixer or your hands knead the dough for coupe of more minutes and then let it rise again until doubled in volume. This time it took me only about 45 minutes for the dough to rise.
Shaping and Baking the Lepinja -
- Once the dough has risen for the second time, place the dough on a heavily floured surface.
- Using well floured hands, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make a ball out of each piece of dough and Place it on the prepared sheet.
- Press down on each ball to flatten it and let the dough rise again for 20 to 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 550 F. Place a tray filled with water in the bottom most shelf of the oven when it is preheating.
- Once the dough has risen for the 3rd time, place it in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes or until the Lepinja bread is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely.
vince says
This is a terrific recipe that I have made multiple times. My problem is I have an old oven, and baking the flatbreads at 550° essentially burns them. So I’ve had to lower the temperature to about 450 or 475. My result is not as crusty, but quite delicious just the same
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Ovens can be so tricky. I have had different ovens heat differently and I have always asked my readers to use an oven thermometer to get the actual temperature. Sorry that the higher temp burns them and glad you are able to lower the temperature and make it work.
John says
Spot on tastes exactly like being back in Croatia. 10/10, thank you!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks so much John! So glad that you liked the recipe.
EG says
These turned out really great even though I only have all purpose flour. I imagine they are excellent with T400 flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks for your feedback! These do come out really well. I am so happy that the recipe worked well for you.
Padmajha PJ says
I like the name of this bread! I rarely bake these days and looking at all the international breads, I feel so tempted! I have heard about steam being used in baking results in a better textured bread but never tried it!
code2cook says
faboulous, you have excelled this recipe, so spongy, and look at that texture. I loved your baked bread recipes dear. and bookmarked few of them. You showcased wonderfully each and surely got mastery on baking. good job.
Ritu Tangri says
This is another wonderful addition to my bookmark folder. The bread has got a wonderful crust color and spongy crumb... excellent pick
Srivalli Jetti says
It sure looks like an artisan bread with such fantastic crumb to it Sandhya. You are a pro when it comes to baking breads and this one surely showcases that..very good pick for the letter!
Mayuri Patel says
As each day goes, you present us with a new bread... I want to try them all! Lepinja bread looks like a flattish bun, so versatile.Baking at high temperature has resulted in a beautiful crust.
Renu says
So true, the same ingredients, but makes so much of a difference in taste and texture. Interesting pick for the Letter L and perfectly baked bread.
harini says
OMG! the bread looks amazing. My husband loves such airy breads and is a die hard fan of middle eastern breads. I am sure this one will be a favorite too for him. Shhh...I want him to stay away from White flour 🙂
Gayathri Raani says
Wow! This looks amazing Sandhya. The crust is so beautiful, like a sourdough loaf and that crumb is fantastic.
Sowmya says
The bread looks delightful Sandhya! Now I guess I should also start the 3 rise process....all I need now is some creamy pasta to go with this! Yum
Priya Suresh says
How rustic and crusty this bread looks, am bookmarking to try as we love these sort of crusty breads for our sandwiches. Can guess the flavor of the bread already through your pictures Sandhya.. Well done yaar.