Komplet lepinja

A very interesting specialty comes from Western Serbia. This is a real energy bomb, and it represents the gastronomic, hedonistic delicacy that originates from the surroundings of Užice and is therefore often called the Užice bun (“Užička lepinja”). If we would ask a specialized gastronomic portal, a set of buns is the number one specialty that can be tried in Serbia is a set of buns - Uzice bun.

Ingredients needed to prepare the bun:

• 1 Bun
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 1 egg
• 1 incomplete melting pot
• So
• Oil
• If desired, you can serve yogurt with Užice bun, sour milk, or kefir

komplet lepinja - uzicka lepinja

How to prepare Komplet lepinja (Užice bun)?

To prepare Užice bun (Komplet lepinja) according to the traditional recipe, you would need a wood stove, bun, pretop (the most accurate translation for pretop is gravy), egg and cream. It is necessary to cut the bun along the horizontal axis and make a small indentation by removing a little dough from the middle of the bun. The cut top of the bun serves as a lid. The lower part of the bun should be well-coated with cream. You need to add an egg to the cream (beat the egg before use) and mix it all directly in a bun. Add salt as desired. After that, the bun should be placed in a pre-heated oven where the bun should be baked for about 10 minutes (depending on whether you prefer a crunchy or crispy bun).

After baking, the bun is placed in the oven and poured over the heated melt. The melt should be poured over the lid that is held above the bun and thus let the melt flows into the bun. The melt itself is usually taken from the roaster, ie from the tray where the fat was collected during the roasting of meat, mostly pork. Pretop ("moca", "moča" or "saft") is the main ingredient and is obtained by capturing the fat after roasting lamb or pig, then mixing it and leaving it to cool. As the melt cools, the fat and gelatin, which is dark brown, which is very salty and contains an appropriate percentage of water, are separated in the bowl. If you are in Uzice, you usually get this transfer for free or very cheaply. As I said at the beginning, a set of buns is a real energy bomb. And now it is a little clearer why this is so.

It is important to start the preparation while the bun is still fresh, and the cream itself should be used already matured, preferably from Zlatibor or Užice, because it is very important to melt it. The pan in which the “Komplet lepinja” is prepared should be coated with oil, while the oven in which it is baked should be heated to 250 degrees. The bun is baked in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

How do you know that the Komplet Lepinja is ready?

The bun is ready while it is still smoking, and the complete cream has already melted, and the egg has crumbled. Remove the bun from the oven. It is ideal to serve “Užička lepinja” with yogurt or sour milk. The salad that accompanies Uzice nicely, a set of buns is chopped tomatoes with a little garlic.
“Komplet lepinja” is traditionally eaten with the fingers and today, usually, the "lid" is eaten first. Before you “jump to eat this delicacy”, “Komplet lepinja” should be left to stand after baking. A good idea for consuming Užička lepinja is to tear the lid on the smaller pieces, which are dipped in the juicy sauce with which the bun was topped.

Komplet lepinja without Gravy? Popular variations of Komplet lepinja

In recent times, various variations of the “Komplet lepinja” have become popular, so today you can see the bun set stored in the size of a cake, and often "upstairs".

If you can’t get to the proper gravy, don’t worry, don’t despair. The home variant can be a decent replacement. I will emphasize this, just a worthy replacement and nothing more. Just add a little more cream to make up for the juiciness of soaking the juice. Of course, don't call that bun "Set of buns", especially not in the presence of someone from Užice.

Šuljaga komplet lepinja

Where to eat a Komplet lepinja?

Maybe you have already heard about many an inevitable station on the road to Zlatibor? An unforgettable gastronomic experience and the famous bun is located near Šuljaga, a widely known baker from Užice. If the road takes you there, you shouldn’t miss at any cost the rhapsody of taste that awaits at the Šuljaga bakery!

Bon appetit!

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