If you’re familiar with Serbian culture, then you’ll know the importance of Slava. If you’re unfamiliar, each family celebrates a Patron Saint and on that day an integral part of the ritual is the cutting of the Slavski Kolač, or Slava bread translated. The most important component is definitely the bread and you’ll see it decorated in beautiful ways. The centerpiece of every Slava table, the Slava bread is a staple recipe you need in your arsenal of traditional Balkan foods. To complete the Slava table you’ll also need wine and of course the Zito, or wheat. You can find the recipe for that here, just omit the whipped cream of course.
I won’t go into too much detail about the religious aspect of the Slava bread, instead, I’ll focus on the recipe and tell you a little bit about the different types of Slava bread recipes. This recipe is what’s been passed down to me and it’s a very simple bread recipe. If you do some research online, you’ll see ones with milk and eggs, making it more of a pogača rather than a plain bread. Because of this, when a Slava is posno/Lenten, you’ll need to omit these items to ensure the bread itself is also Lenten. My recipe doesn’t use these items and therefore it is naturally appropriate for either a regular/mrsna or posna/lenten Slava. However, when the Slava is not lenten, I do brush my bread with an egg yolk to get the golden brown color. Traditionally, my family always just brushed the top with oil and called it a day. Again, ensure you only do the egg yolk if you don’t care about it being lenten.
The decorations are really what make this bread special. I remember when I would be back home for our Slava and my grandmother would make the Kolač. She would let it rise and then ask me to come over and add any decorations that I would like. It is such a special memory and I remember trying my best to make it look pretty, adding flowers, doves, and other items. Neither she or I had cookie cutters or molds then, so it was all done by hand. And while I have special cookie cutters now that I purchased a few years ago when I was in Serbia, there are still pieces I make by hand. Here is my recipe for the decoration dough.
No matter how you decorate your Slavski Kolač, to ensure it meets the religious requirements it needs to have a cross on top. This is something I was taught by our priest. But even store-bought ones these days have at least the cross, braided or otherwise on top so no need to worry if ordering yours.
Note: When we had it in the house, we would add a dash of holy water to the dough. I’ve noted this in the recipe but if you don’t have any, just substitute with regular water.
I hope you enjoy this very simple recipe. Srećna Slava!
Slavski Kolač / Slava Bread
Cuisine: Serbian4
servings30
minutes40
minutesA traditional Slava bread recipe that’s simple and easy but makes a big impact.
Ingredients
1 packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon (4 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
1 cup (235 ml) warm water
1 cup (235 ml) holy water (optional) or substitute with regular water
1 1/3 cup (120 ml) oil
5-6 cups (600-720g) all-purpose flour + more if needed
1 egg yolk or oil for brushing on top
Directions
- Make the decorations for your bread 1 day before. This saves you time and allows you to break up the tasks.
- In a bowl combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir, cover, and place in a warm place to proof.
- Once the yeast is ready, pour it into a large mixing bowl and add the oil. Stir briefly and then begin adding the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until you’re not able to any longer. At that point switch to kneading the dough with your hands and continue doing so until the dough is soft, smooth, and no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the bowl, about 7-8 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to double in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, preheat your oven to 350 F/175 C. Grease a 12-inch springform pan or line with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead briefly to remove the air pockets. Next, divide the dough into 12 pieces, with 1 of the pieces being slightly larger than the others. Use a scale if you want exactly equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and place to the side on a lightly floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.
- Begin assembling your bread by placing the largest ball in the middle of the pan. Next, place 8 balls of dough around the middle piece all around the plan.
- Take the 3 remaining pieces of dough and roll them into long ropes of equal length.
- Next, braid the three ropes and then cut the braid in the middle so you have 2 braided pieces.
- Pinch the ends of each piece and then lay one piece of the braid in the pan top to bottom and one left to right, crossing them on top of the bread to form the cross.
- Cover your bread with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for about 30 minutes on top of the stove which should be warm by now.
- Before placing the bread in the oven, uncover the pan and brush the top of the bread with either oil or egg yolk. Place your pre-made decorations as you like.
- Bake covered with aluminum foil for about 35 minutes and then uncover and bake until the top is golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
