Earlier this month, I saw a post on “Rundstykker” a type of Danish breakfast bun, on the blog My Danish Kitchen. This made me think of the bread I used to eat myself back home. Of course, the desire to make some immediately emerged.

I pulled out of the bookshelves one of my Bulgarian cookbooks and started looking for the type of bread to make. I decided to go with a pitka with honey. I made a couple of modifications to the original recipe and then, got down to work.

I’ve got to say I was a bit surprised by the end result because the texture and taste resemble much more a mix of Kozunak (a traditional sweet bread made for Easter) and brioche than what I consider a pitka. (Just in case you wonder what I consider a “real” pitka: imagine a pita if it had actual bread filling inside it rather than forming a pocket.)

Yet, the result is delicious. It’s fluffy, light, and, despite the honey, it only has a hint of sweetness which makes it great both for jams and more savory additions. While I sticked to blackberry jam, the hubby loved it with cheese. In fact, the hubby was quite responsible for this bread disappearing quite amazingly fast… 😛

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Pitka with Honey

Ingredients

• 3oz yogurt at room temperature
• 2/3cup + 1-2tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, melted + about 2 more melted tbsp for greasing
• 1 large egg, separated into white and yolk
• 17oz all-purpose flour
• honey

Directions

1. On a large baking sheet, place parchment paper.
2. In small bowl, mix together the 2/3 cup water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand until foamy.
3. In large bowl, mix together salt and flour. Make a small well in the center. On the side, add the 4 tbsp butter, yogurt, and egg white.
4. Add the yeast mixture to the well in the flour and mix all ingredients together until you get a smooth dough. If needed add the extra 1-2 tbsp warm water. The end result should be a soft dough, slightly sticky too touch, but not actually sticking to your fingers.
5. Divide dough into 3 balls and let them rest in a bowl high enough to let them rise. Cover with plastic wrap top of the bowl and then with towel and place in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
6. On a slightly floured surface, roll out first ball to form a thin round layer. Brush lightly with melted butter. Then brush/drizzle 1 tbsp honey. Repeat with second ball and place on top of the first. Roll out third ball, but do not brush with anything (no butter, nor honey). Place on top of the first top.
7. Out of the layered dough, cut triangles as if you were slicing a round pizza. (I recommend using a pizza cutter, and cutting the round through its center, into quarters, and then into smaller triangles). You should have 12 equal-sized triangles.
8. On each triangle, at the flat (non-pointy) end, drizzle or spoon 1/2 tsp honey, then roll the triangle as a croissant. Place on parchment paper on baking sheet and let rise for another 1 hour in a warm place.
9. Preheat oven to 375F.
10. Take a round dish and grease it. Arrange “croissants” in it to fit the space and into a pyramid-like structure. Brush with egg yolk and place in the preheated oven.
11. Bake until golden (about 40 minutes). (Do not succumb to the temptation of increasing the oven temperature because the dough takes a long time to get any colors. It will happen almost suddenly. I did increase the temp to 400F, and this resulted in slightly burning some parts of the pitka.)