Macedonian pogacha (Rich bread)

Ingredients:

• 750g.-1kg. flour
• salt
• 2 tablespoons lukewarm milk or water
• 20 g. fresh yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 dl. oil
• lukewarm water as needed
• 2-3 eggs
• salt
• lard or oil for greasing
• flour for dusting

Pogacha (Rich bread) is something like white bread and there are as many recipes for it as there are shapes. The next recipe is from Macedonia:

Sift flour. Crumble yeast, add some sugar, some flour and lukewarm water or milk. Mix well until smooth and leave to stand in a warm place to rise.

Make a well in the center of flour, add oil, egg yolks and one whole egg, salt and creamed yeast. Pour in some lukewarm water and mix all. Knead into smooth dough until bubbles appear in it. Dust the dough with some flour and leave it to stand in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

Grease a baking pan (tepsiya) with oil or lard. Toss the risen dough onto a board dredged with flour, knead it shortly, put into the tepsiya, cover and leave to stand like that for about 10-15 minutes. Before baking, prick with a fork in several places. Bake in the oven preheated to 200 Celsius degrees for about 30-35 minutes. When the crust is brown, it can be covered with tin paper or thin foil. When done, sprinkle the pogatcha with some water and wrap it up with clean cloth.

Serve warm, preferably with kaymak, some cheese spread or the like, as an appetizer.

The recipe is adapted from "The Balkan Cookbook" by Radojko Mrljesh

Macedonian pogacha (Rich bread)