Užice Stuffed Flatbread (Komplet Lepinja)
Комплет лепиња Komplet lepinjaSay it: kom-PLET LEH-pee-nyah
In western Serbia, komplet lepinja is a morning order that arrives hot, split, and soaked: a soft round bread filled with egg and aged kajmak, baked again, then finished with savory roast drippings. The result is crisp-edged, custardy inside, and rich enough that a small bowl of sour milk is the usual companion.
Užice Stuffed Flatbread (Komplet Lepinja)
Комплет лепиња, Komplet lepinja
Pronounced kom-PLET LEH-pee-nyah
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the flatbreads
For the filling and finishing
Method
Stir the yeast and sugar into ½ cup (120 ml) of the warm water in a small bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the flour and leave the mixture for 10 minutes, by which point it should look foamy.
Combine the rest of the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining warm water, and the oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, then turn out onto a clean work surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and stretchy.
Form the dough into a ball, set it in a bowl brushed with a little oil, cover with a towel, and let it rise in a warm spot until its volume doubles, roughly 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Deflate the dough and cut it into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten or roll it into a round about 4 inches (10 cm) across and ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Place the rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the rounds puff and just barely take on color. Take them out, drape a clean cloth over them, and let them cool enough to handle.
Using a small serrated knife, cut a round lid from the top of each flatbread and keep the lids. Scoop out the soft interior, leaving a wall about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Break the scooped bread into small pieces.
Whisk the eggs and kajmak in a bowl until nearly smooth. Stir in the torn bread pieces. Divide this filling among the hollowed flatbreads.
Put the filled flatbreads back in the oven for 12–15 minutes, until the egg mixture is set and the rims turn golden.
Carefully pour the warmed pretop over the filling so it soaks into the bread. Put the reserved lids back on and wait 1–2 minutes before serving.
Regional variant: Komplet lepinja with smoked meat (komplet lepinja sa dimljenim mesom)
Stir about 2 oz (60 g) of finely chopped smoked pork—pršuta, pečenica, or suvi vrat—into the egg-kajmak mixture before spooning it into the breads. Nothing else in the method changes; the added meat brings extra richness and salt.
Cook's notes
- When kajmak is hard to find, clotted cream works, or use equal parts mascarpone and crumbled feta for a comparable creamy, salty result.
- Pretop is the fat and juice that collects under a roast. If none is on hand, warm beef or pork roasting juices with a small amount of melted fat and use that instead.
- A practical shortcut is to buy 4 decent lepinje or small round flatbreads; the filling and pretop still carry the dish.
Serve with
Offer it hot alongside sour milk (kiselo mleko), plain yogurt, or drinking yogurt.
Make ahead and storage
The unfilled flatbreads can be baked as much as 1 day in advance and stored covered at room temperature; fill and bake them just before serving.
