A soft round flatbread split open, its hollow soaked with savory meat drippings, smeared with kajmak, and finished with an egg, then baked until set into one molten, indulgent package. Its name means 'the complete flatbread', and it is the legendary breakfast of western Serbia.
Originating in the western Serbian town of Užice in the Zlatibor region, where it began as cheap, filling fare for workers and apprentices. Its original local name was 'lepinja sa sve' (the lepinja with everything) — said to come from apprentices asking the bakery masters what they wanted, who would answer 'the one with everything'; the name 'komplet lepinja' only took hold in the 1980s. It is built in roast-houses and bakeries using the pretop, the rendered fat and juices collected on the pan from roasting whole pork or lamb (no meat itself).
Pillowy bread saturated with meaty, salty roasting juices, threaded with the cool richness of kajmak that melts into the warmth, and a soft egg binding it all. Every bite is savory and unctuous, somewhere between a soaked sandwich and a baked custard of pure comfort.
The airy crumb of the lepinja acts like a sponge, wicking up the fat-rich drippings so flavor penetrates throughout. Kajmak melts under residual heat to coat everything in dairy fat, while a brief bake just sets the egg, binding the layers without overcooking.
Variations
with or without the egg, different roasting drippings (pork, veal, lamb), extra portions for a 'dupli komplet' (double)
On the Palate
Where Komplet Lepinja sits in the Serbian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 115 min
Make a simple yeasted dough from flour, water, yeast, and salt, and knead until smooth.
- 260 min
Let the dough rise until doubled, then shape into round flatbreads and bake until puffed and golden.
- 35 min
Reserve the savory drippings and juices (pretop) collected from roasting meat such as pork or veal.
- 45 min
Split a warm baked lepinja and pull out some of the soft interior to make a hollow.
- 52 min
Pour the hot meat drippings into the hollow so the bread soaks them up.
Watch outPour the hot drippings into the hollow and let the airy crumb drink them right up — the bread should go glistening and saturated, that soak is the whole point.
- 65 min
Spread a generous layer of kajmak inside and crack a raw egg over the top.
- 710 min
Return the filled lepinja to a hot oven just until the egg is barely set.
Watch outPull it from the oven the instant the egg white just clouds and sets — leave it longer and the yolk hardens and the whole thing dries out.
- 83 min
Serve immediately while hot, gooey, and dripping.
