Last Updated on August 12, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Pogacha
Balkan Yogurt Bread is a basic bread with a soft and tender interior, but dense enough to hold up for things like French Toast. Enjoy it with soups, salads or as a sandwich bread.
Yogurt for many Americans is a sweet pudding like snack for a treat. However, in many Mediterranean and South Asian countries, yogurt is a staple for use in everything from condiments to soup.
In recent years with the promotion of all of the health benefits of yogurt, eating plain yogurt has become more popular. Now you may have it for breakfast with some fresh fruit and honey, for a healthier option than the sugar laden ones.
The Balkan countries take their yogurt very seriously. Fresh homemade yogurt at a Serbian restaurant served with some grilled sausages many years ago turned me on to plain yogurt instead of the sweetened ones.
Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt is thick and creamy, although not quite as thick as Greek yogurt. Finally, I was able to find a yogurt that I enjoyed as much as the Serbian one! I love having some with grilled sausages now – the Balkan way!
It has far less tang than most plain yogurts so that I was able to enjoy it completely on its own. In the Eastern European countries of Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia, yogurt is eaten with just about everything and they have been making it for thousands of years and have mastered the technique well.
Organic and made right here in New York up in the Catskill Mountains, the yogurt is fresh at your local supermarkets!
As I said, yogurt is life in the Balkan states and they use it in everything. This Pogacha Yogurt Bread is basic bread in the Balkans enjoyed with everything like soups and salad or used for sandwiches.
Have Pogacha – Bulgairan Yogurt Bread with sausage, salad and more fresh yogurt or with Tarator – Bulgarian Cucumber Soup for a Balkan meal or have it more American style for breakfast with cheese and jam.
Here are some jam recipes you might want to try out to enjoy with your Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread
Jam Recipes
- Smoky Peach Jam
- Pumpkin Jam
- Blueberry Chia Jam
- Strawberry Rose Jam
- Wild Strawberry Gooseberry Jam
- Caribbean Style Banana Jam
So are you ready to try Balkan Bread?
Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat milk and butter until the butter melts in the microwave or in a saucepan on medium low heat.
- Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm, 115 – 120 F.
- Add sugar and stir to mix. Sprinkle yeast on top and leave for 5 minutes, until it turns foamy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt and oil.
- In an electric mixer, combine the flour and salt.
- With the dough hook attachment, add the yeast mixture.
- Mix for 2-3 minutes until the dough turns shaggy.
- Add half of the yogurt mixture and knead for about 5 minutes with an electric mixer, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the remaining yogurt mix if necessary, as needed if the dough becomes too dry.
- Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non stick spray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
- Leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Knead dough a few times and transfer to a round springform cake pan. Alternately, you can place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a sharp knife, cut an X on the top of the bread.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Leave dough to rise 30 minutes, until double in size.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour, until dough sounds hollow when tapped.
- Leave bread to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
This bread has an amazingly soft yet slightly dense interior and with a really crusty exterior. I love using this bread for French Toast, as it can stand up to soaking
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Wow fantastic bread dear , thank you for hosting an event ..I love to have plain yogurt with sugar mixed and also love them as an flavored yogurt like a Indian shrikand 🙂
Wow this is a delicious ! I love the crumb of te the bread and if it holds up for French toast then I am all for it.
Yes the bread has texture but is still soft and light!
Lovely recipe and an awesome giveaway!
Sounds like my kind of breakfast! Your Union Square Farmer's Market sounds like a superb place for ingredients. Maybe one day I will get the chance to visit there myself! Thanks for linking up with Shop Local 🙂
Delicious bread, Love it, Always simple bread makes awesome breakfast, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop.
My nephew loved the bread. It reminded him of the bread he ate in South Correa. I gave him the recipe. Mom enjoyed the bread too. I wish I could have had a piece, but I’m grain free.
I’m sorry you could not try it, but so glad the rest of the family did!
Delicious bread, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop. Always breakfast is bliss with these kind of bread.
awesome giveaway, how to enter it , don't see any rules. its overlapping.
I am not sure what you mean. I can clearly see the field to enter your email address. Please try it again
What a delicious loaf of bread! It looks tender and moist with the perfect crumb. I’d love to serve this with a crisp garden salad or a bowl of hearty vegetable soup.
This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the rotation! YUMMMM
This bread has great texture. Nice crunch on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. My family made it as sandwich bread for the week, and it was perfect!
This looks wonderful. Yogurt is also a popular condiment in the Middle East. It kinda remind me the flatbread there.
Homemade bread is the best, and we love to enjoy it with so many things. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
wow looks so good and easy too. i can’t wait to try it!
Loved the beautiful colour of the crust. The texture of the bread is perfect and like you said, there are so many health benefits in yoghurt and it’s good to use in making breads too.
Yes – incorporating yogurt into our diet in any way we can is very healthy.
Wonderful recipe. Bread looks so soft and delicious. Loved the crust. I can imagine the taste if I can try it with sweetened yogurt. Thanks for sharing
Yes it would be delicious with sweetened yogurt!
have heard of buttermilk in baking, this bulgarian yoghurt is new to me.. is it different from greek / indian yoghurt , Mir ? The bake by itself looks fantastic – with some soup on the side would be a great meal..
It is halfway in between Greek yogurt and regular plain yogurt. Not quite as thick as greek yogurt but is a little thicker than regular yogurt.
Delicious bread with a nice crust.Just need some fruit jam to polish it off . Lovely share.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much!
I’ve tried a pogacha bread but from a different region, Turkey and it was delicious. So am sure this one with yogurt will be what the family will enjoy especially with the lovely crust. Yogurt in bakes helps the overall texture of the bread.
yes this bread is common in that whole region of the world as they all use yogurt so much in their cuisine.