Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tspsugar
- 300 mlwarm water
- 2 tbspolive oil
To finish
- 1egg, beaten
- 2 tspcoarse sea salt
- 2 tspcaraway seeds
Directions
- Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar, add the warm water and oil, and knead 8 minutes to a soft smooth dough. Prove 1 hour until doubled.
- Knock back and press out by hand into a round about 30 cm across and 1.5 cm thick, directly on a lined tray. Press it out rather than rolling — the uneven hand-shaped surface is part of what it is.
- Prove a second time, 30 minutes.
- Now score the grid. With a sharp knife or a dough scraper, cut lines across the round in both directions to make squares about 4 cm across, cutting about halfway down but not through to the tray.
- That grid is protected: Belokranjska pogača has EU designation, and the scoring is part of its specification, not decoration. It is torn along the lines at the table rather than sliced.
- Brush all over with beaten egg, getting into the cuts, then scatter evenly with coarse salt and caraway.
- Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 22–25 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding underneath.
- Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and serve warm, torn into squares, with cured meats, cheese and a glass of the region’s Metliška črnina.
Technique
- Cut halfway, not through. Too deep and the squares separate into rolls; too shallow and it bakes into a smooth flat loaf.
- Coarse salt, not fine. The scattered crystals are meant to be visible and to crunch.
- Caraway is characteristic of Bela krajina. Leaving it out makes a perfectly good flatbread that is no longer this one.
Substitutions
- Fennel or nigella seed in place of caraway for a different but pleasant loaf.
- A tablespoon of sour cream in the dough for a softer crumb.
Variations
- A version brushed with cream rather than egg before baking.
- Made with part wholemeal flour, as some village bakeries do.
History
Flat, scored bread of White Carniola brushed with egg and caraway, among the first Slovenian foods to gain protected status.
Frequently asked questions
What is Belokranjska pogača?
Belokranjska pogača is a bread & pastry from Slovenia: salt-and-caraway flatbread torn by hand. Flat, scored bread of White Carniola brushed with egg and caraway, among the first Slovenian foods to gain protected status.
How long does Belokranjska pogača take to make?
Belokranjska pogača takes 25 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 flatbread, 8 pieces. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Belokranjska pogača?
Yes, within limits. Fennel or nigella seed in place of caraway for a different but pleasant loaf. A tablespoon of sour cream in the dough for a softer crumb.
What is the most important thing to get right in Belokranjska pogača?
Knock back and press out by hand into a round about 30 cm across and 1.5 cm thick, directly on a lined tray. Press it out rather than rolling — the uneven hand-shaped surface is part of what it is.
