Croatian Easter Bread (Pinca)
Pinca is a sweet bread that’s a popular Easter treat in Croatia. They are similar to a brioche and super delicious.
Ingredients · Servings 30
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp dried yeast
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2.5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 8 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp rum
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 3 egg yolks
- orange or lemon zest
Method · 3 h 10 min
- Soak the raisins in the rum for one hour.
- In a large bowl, gently mix the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla sugar.
- Activate the yeast with some warm milk and one teaspoon of sugar. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Combine the dried ingredients with the rest of the warm milk, oil, lemon zest, egg yolks, and yeast mixture, and mix gently.
- Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead for at least 10 minutes. Transfer back to the bowl, cover, and let rise to double its size, around 1-2 hours.
- Remove the excess rum from the raisins and add them to the dough together with some melted butter.
- When the dough has doubled in size, put it on a flat surface and knead for 10 more minutes.
- Divide the dough into equal parts, as many as you want, roll them to form a ball and transfer to an baking pan lined with baking paper. Leave for one hour to double in size. Then, using a knife, finely cut the top in the shape if a cross. Brush with egg yolk, but avoid brushing over the cut cross.
- Preheat the oven to 320°F/160° C and bake for about 25-35 minutes until golden. Let them cool before serving!
Enjoy this classic Croatian Easter bread recipe!
