Serbian / Balkan Lenten Bread (Posna Pogača) Recipe

This recipe for Serbian Lenten pogacha (POH-gah-cha), also spelled pogača, uses no eggs, milk, or butter, so it is perfect for fasting times, like the period before Christmas (Advent) and Easter (Lent). 

Christian Orthodox Great Lent, in general, is a time of great fasting and there are many rules on what types of oil, if any, can be consumed. This lean Lenten white bread fits well within the guidelines.

Pogača (Balkan spelling), Pogacha (Anglicized spelling), Pogácsa (Hungarian spelling), poğaça (Greek), pogaçe (Albanian) are all rustic leavened or unleavened breads made with white flour or whole-wheat flour or a mixture a combination of the two. Some breads have a potato or cheese filling and herbs like dill and sesame mixed in with the flour.

In Bulgaria, where the bread is known as pogačice, it is more of a puff pastry affair and often served hot as an appetizer filled with sour cream or curd cheese or Bulgarian feta cheese. This is also popular in Turkey.

In Hungary, for example, pogácsa are made from either short dough or yeast dough. There are dozens of shapes and sizes with round being the most traditional.

A multitude of add-ins can be found either in the dough or on it, such as fresh cheese, aged cheese, pork crackling, sautéed cabbage, pepper, paprika, garlic, red onion, caraway, sesame, sunflower, or poppy seeds.