Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread

Thank you for sharing!

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.

round loaf of 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.

Pogacha Jam LR

Here are some jam recipes you might want to try out to enjoy with your Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread

Jam Recipes

So are you ready to try Balkan Bread?

Pogacha LR
round loaf of bread
Print Recipe Pin it for later!
5 from 12 votes
SAVE THIS RECIPE

Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread

Pogacha – Balkan Yogurt Bread is a basic bread that can be enjoyed with salads, soup or used as sandwich bread.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Rising Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Servings: 24 slices
Calories: 149kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 pkg. instant yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup Bulgarian yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup oil

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

The amount of yogurt mix needed will differ depending on humidity, elevation and other environmental factors.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe? Let me see!Tag me on Instagram @chefmireille so I can see yours!
Is this recipe on my You Tube channel?Find out and subscribe to my channel here!

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

This is a sponsored post. However, all comments and opinions are the honest reactions of Chef Mireille.

DO YOU YUM? SAVE IT BELOW!

Yum
bread with jam, cheese and fruit with text

This post may include affiliate links.

Don’t forget to visit the RECIPE INDEX with over 1000 recipes from around the world including lots of Vegetarian Recipes and Gluten Free Recipes!

Thank you for sharing!

Join the Global Kitchen Travels community!

Sign up for updates!

Thanks! Keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 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 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the rotation! YUMMMM

  4. 5 stars
    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!

  5. 5 stars
    This looks wonderful. Yogurt is also a popular condiment in the Middle East. It kinda remind me the flatbread there.

  6. 5 stars
    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.

  7. 5 stars
    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

  8. 5 stars
    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..

  9. 5 stars
    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.

5 from 12 votes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.