Popara

Popara (Serbian Bread and Milk)

A humble Serbian farmhouse breakfast from Vojvodina and eastern Serbia: day-old white bread softened in hot, buttery milk and crowned with crisp pork cracklings, crumbled white cheese and a generous pinch of paprika. Eaten with a spoon, still bubbling, the moment it leaves the stove.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) day-old white bread, crusty country loaf or štruca, torn by hand; slightly stale bread holds its shape best
• •750 ml (3¼ cups) whole milk, full-fat milk is essential for the silky soak
• •40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
• •150 g (5¼ oz) smoked pork fat (slanina) or thick-cut bacon, diced; traditional popara uses cured pork fatback
• •150 g (5¼ oz) white cheese (mladi sir, feta or sirenje), crumbled; Serbian mladi sir is closest, feta is the standard substitute
• •1 tsp sweet paprika (mljevena slatka paprika), Hungarian or Serbian sweet paprika
• •hot paprika (ljuta mljevena paprika), ½, adjust to taste, or substitute with extra sweet paprika
• •1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• •freshly ground black pepper, ½
• •2 tbsp chives (vlasac), optional, finely sliced

Steps

1. 1 Tear the bread into rough, bite-sized chunks about 3-4 cm (1¼-1½ in). Leave the crusts on; they give texture. Pack loosely into a deep heatproof bowl or earthenware pot and set aside. To keep the finished dish hot, warm the bowl in a low oven first rather than pouring hot milk into a cold pot.
2. 2 Cut the smoked pork fat (or bacon) into small dice, about 5 mm (¼ in). Place in a dry heavy skillet or small saucepan over medium heat and render slowly, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are deeply golden and crisp and have released their fat, 6-8 minutes. Do not let them burn. Lift the cracklings out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper; leave the rendered fat in the pan.
3. 3 Off the heat, sprinkle the sweet and hot paprika into the hot fat (it should sizzle gently but not scorch) and swirl for 10 seconds; this bloomed paprika fat is what carries the flavor into the bread. Set aside.
4. 4 In a separate saucepan, combine the milk, butter, salt and pepper. Heat over medium until the milk is just below a simmer and the butter is fully melted, around 80-85 °C (175-185 °F); do not let it boil. Taste and adjust salt - the milk should be pleasantly seasoned.
5. 5 Pour the hot milk over the bread all at once. Press down gently with the back of a spoon so the bread is mostly submerged but not compacted; it should soak for only 1-2 minutes so the pieces stay distinct and slightly toothsome, not a paste. Keep the bowl in the warm oven or on a folded towel while it soaks so the milk does not cool quickly.
6. 6 Drizzle the paprika-fat from the skillet over the soaked bread and stir once, just to coat.
7. 7 Top immediately with the crumbled white cheese, scatter the crisp cracklings over the top, finish with a final pinch of sweet paprika, a grind of black pepper and the chives if using. Add the cheese only at the last moment, not while the bread soaks.
8. 8 Bring the bowl straight to the table while still bubbling. Eat with a spoon, mixing as you go so each bite carries bread, milk, cheese and crackling. Popara is a dish to eat the moment it is made: do not let it sit around in the danger zone, and reheat any portion you do not eat straight away until it is piping hot. Leftover popara will continue to absorb liquid; serve and eat at once.