Traditional Balkan flatbread recipe with Snezana

Well, if you're looking for a fun baking project this weekend,

we've got you sorted. This Balkan flatbread is simple.

It's versatile, and it's the perfect vessel

for a range of tantalising toppings, Kylie.

Wow, here to show us how it is.

TV favourites you're selling at the Charlotte,

how low a sniss, how you going.

Very good. Thank you so much for having me.

You are making the flatbread, as we said.

What's its traditional name?

It's called Leppier.

It's been around for hundreds and hundreds of years,

and it changes from the region to region,

but it's really simple to make.

How do we make the dough ready?

So dough is very simple, you know?

It's impressive what a little bit of flour,

salt and water can do, and I'm always,

I'm a big fan of any sort of dough,

and I have plain flour.

plain flour, bread flour, any flour,

we do, you can't go wrong here.

And honestly, a bit of yeast,

a bit of salt, some oil.

When people say you can't go wrong here,

they never look at me, they look at you.

Well, I could go wrong here.

Very wrong, I have four minutes to make a break, so.

And just some water, that's it.

You mix it together, get a dough ready,

and then you knead it until you get that nice shape,

which I'll show you what it looks like after it's been risen.

Right.

Yeah, okay, so when we mix all that together,

and then you sort of knead it out,

then yeah, haven't you got to pop it somewhere warm

for an hour or something?

Put it in warm spot, I have a trick.

I preheat my oven to roughly 30, 40 degrees.

Turn it off, put the dough in, covered with a cling wrap.

Yes, that's it.

30 minutes.

That's very clear.

That's a good one.

Okay, so it comes out and looks like this.

It comes out, it looks like that.

So, pretty much, when it comes to that stage,

you just dip it out.

Not like that, like this.

Like that.

Yeah, this is a final product.

That's a final product, I like this, yeah.

So this is usually baked on a wood fire oven,

like super hot, quickly, like literally two minutes,

and it's done.

But then when it comes out of here, you just shape it.

I mean, this is like meditation for me, making dough.

So just literally shape it, make maybe out of this,

you can make maybe four little flatbreads,

and then we shape each of them, you know.

I'm worried about how you have the flour on the board,

like that, to stop it from sticking.

Yes.

I'm worried that if I include too much of that,

it will make it dry.

Well, what's the, yeah.

The thing is like, with my dough, it's very wet.

So it looks really wet here.

Obviously, I still didn't do any kneading and such.

So make the super soft dough.

It can take a little bit of flour.

So you can not get wet.

I'm exactly, yeah, absolutely.

Okay, now we're up to the cooking bits.

Now, this is where you've got to flip, flip, flip,

and I'm not.

Right, so what's the secret there?

The secret here is make it nice and flat.

Around, if you can, I usually like,

spend some time here, and kind of putting some effort,

but now I'm just going to show you how to make

this traditional shape, because you'll find this bread

in all traditional little taverns across the Serbia,

across the Old Balkans, and this is little pattern

that kind of gives it away.

So pretty much, use the backside of the knife

or something and just go, it's a, like that.

And is it for any particular reason?

Does it cook it through or anything like that?

I actually don't know if it kind of cooks it through,

but it makes it beautiful.

But when you cut it in and you open it

and it has that beautiful hole, it just does something to it.

And it just, yeah, it looks handmade.

And it's how long in the else, spectacular.

This one, 250 degrees, maybe 10 minutes.

And if you have a pizestone, even better,

because it gets that beautiful crust on the bottom,

but absolutely love it.

All right, so now we're going to finish.

What do we do with that?

So you can go crazy with any topping you like,

but this is the most traditional way

that's been eaten around Balkans, so it's chavapi,

and usually eaten with lots of onion.

I know you're really excited about that part.

I'm just worried I'll get date night tonight with my wife.

I'm just worried that's a lot of onion in there, girl.

Do you know what the trick makes sure she eats it as well?

Yeah, it's all taken and full of onion, full of onion.

It is before I don't eat it.

You've got some exciting food projects on the cards.

What can you tell us?

I do have a couple of pop-ups coming up

with Melbourne Food and Wine Festival,

but also I just finished writing my own cookbook,

which is going to show a lot of about this beautiful,

traditional food, and I'm looking for publisher.

Oh!

Oh!

All right.

Now, Carly, you take that while I read it out to you.

Oh, and I'll go with the lovely onion.

There you go.

Thank you.

There's not a little bit too much,

but I'm going to have a dip.

I want to have a dip with Ava.

Thank you.

This is very, I'm like a roasted pepper's dip,

and I would definitely go with that.

Well, that's a capsicum.

Yes.

Thank you.

Lovely.

All right, you can find the full recipe over on our website,

and says his handle is on the screen there.

Make sure you follow her on Instagram for more great ideas.

Lovely to see you.

Thank you very much for having me.