A few years ago I had the privilege to visit a little village in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The scenery was beautiful, people were friendly, and the food was wonderful. The main thing I remember about meals though, was the bread! You would go through almost a loaf of bread with your meal and still want more. I know there are many varieties of traditional bread, but the one I learned to make is Lepinja.

Please, enjoy!

Step 1: Ingredients

You will need:

1 package bread yeast

2.5 cups, all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. warm milk

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

Step 2: Ready the Yeast.

Combine the yeast, milk, sugar and water. Mix gently and set aside for 15 minutes. This allow the yeast to activate.

When it looks frothy, it's ready.

Step 3: Mix It.

In a larger container, combine 2 cups of flour and the salt. When your yeast is activated, mix the dry and wet ingredients together

When your ingredients are mixed well, sprinkle the remaining flour over the dough ball to prevent sticking. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Optional, This dough can be very sticky. You can spray cooking spray onto whatever bowl you are mixing and rising in to further prevent sticking.

Step 4: Rise and Knead.

After an hour, punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes. It's completely OK to add a small amount of extra flour to prevent sticking while kneading.

Cover again and allow to rise for an additional 25 minutes. Now is an excellent time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

After the second rising, knead lightly for 5 minutes and form into a loaf. Place it on a greased baking pan and allow to rise for an additional 15 minutes.

Optional, I like to make shallow slits in the top of my bread before the final rising. It doesn't affect the flavor, I just think it looks neat.

Step 5: Bake It.

Place your loaf in your 400 degree F oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool, if you can wait, and enjoy! This bread makes great bread bowls for dip or chowder or just slice some off and butter it. Remember, there are no preservatives in this bread, so it will get stale after 3 of 4 days.