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5.0 from 9 votes

Pinca

Pinca is a delicious traditional sweet bread originally from Dalmatia and Istria, which is typically prepared for Easter in Croatia.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Resting Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 865 kcal
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Croatian , Balkan

Ingredients

  • 2.2 lb cake flour (or pastry flour)
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 8 oz sugar
  • 2 packets vanilla sugar
  • Grated rind of a lemon
  • Grated rind of an orange
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 3 oz vegetable shortening
  • 10 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat up ½ cup (100 ml) of milk, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of flour.
  2. Mix those ingredients and add the yeast. Let it rest for a bit.
  3. Mix 3 eggs and 2 egg yolks until obtaining a foamy mixture.
  4. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, and mix all the ingredients until obtaining a homogeneous mixture.
  5. Add the grated rinds of the lemon and orange and mix everything
  6. In a saucepan, melt the shortening and butter on low heat.
  7. Add the mixture of eggs and sugar into the flour and stir everything slowly.
  8. Add the melted fat while stirring the mixture constantly.
  9. Add a pinch of salt and yeast and mix the ingredients.
  10. Start topping up the milk. Stir everything up.
  11. Leave the mixture in a warm place until its volume doubles.
  12. Then, knead it again and divide it into four balls of equal size.
  13. Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet. Let them rest for a bit.
  14. Preheat the oven to 300 F (150˚C).
  15. Cut the dough from the middle towards the three or four corners.
  16. Bake for 30 minutes.
  17. While the pincas are baking, make the syrup out of ¼ cup (50 ml) of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  18. Mix the ingredients and after 30 minutes of baking, coat each pinca with syrup.
  19. Sprinkle the pincas with sugar and then bake them for another 10 minutes.
  20. Once the pincas are baked, let them cool before cutting and serving.