Written by our local expert Vedran

Vedran is a total food lover from Croatia. He creates recipes from his kitchen in Zagreb using fresh produce from his garden.

Jump to Recipe

Bread big all over the Balkans. Here in Croatia, lepinja bread is usually used for housing ćevapčići. But, as somun is slightly softer and more aromatic than lepinja, I’d choose somun over lepinja when given the chance any day.

Here is how to make somun at home. This recipe is ideal for your home oven.

A glass bowl with dough for the Best Bread and Ćevapi in it.

A bowl of dough and a knife next to it, ready to prepare delicious Somun or Ćevapi, the best bread of all time.

Using a wooden spoon to make somun bread, a bowl of flour sits on a marble table.

A bowl of flour, eggs, sugar, and a wooden spoon on a marble table used to make somun bread.

Using a wooden spoon to make the best bread, an assortment of ingredients is mixed in a glass bowl

A somun bread dough being made with a wooden spoon.

A grey linen napkin on a marble table, with ćevapi and bread.

A bowl of flour and dough, ready to make bread or Ćevapi somun.

Four pieces of dough on a table next to a knife, perfect for making homemade bread.

Four dough balls being made into somun bread on a marble countertop.

Four dough balls on a baking sheet covered in powder, ready to be baked.

Three balls of somun dough on a marble table.

Four dough balls on a bread baking sheet.

A hand is putting flour on a dough to make the best bread, Ćevapi.

A How To for baking a Somun bread for Ćevapi, featuring a baking sheet with dough and flour on it.

A person is sprinkling flour on a baking sheet to prepare Somun bread.

Four pieces of somun dough on a baking sheet.

Four somun breads on a baking sheet with a knife.

Four dough balls on a baking sheet, ready to make Ćevapi or the best bread with a knife.

Two loaves of somun bread on a baking sheet.

Homemade pita bread on a baking sheet, the best bread made using Somun.

A baking sheet with several breads, including somun, on it.

How To Make Somun Bread For Ćevapi

Here is how to make somun at home. This recipe is ideal for your home oven.

Ingredients

1 kg pastry flour. This flour is also known as type 405, 00, or type 45, it has 9% protein. (9 cups)
4 teaspoons salt
300 ml of milk (1 1/4 cups)
300 ml of water (1 1/4 cups)
14 grams dry yeast (2 packets)
10 tablespoons of creamy yogurt (full fat Greek works a treat)
Black cumin or sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Warm the milk (lukewarm not boiling), stir in the yeast, and let the mixture activate (usually takes around 10 minutes).
In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
Once the yeast has activated, add to the flour, along with the yogurt and water.
Knead the ingredients with a spoon, or even better with your hands! The dough needs to be sticky, so don't add more flour than indicated in the recipe.
Cover the bowl and let the batter rise until it has doubled. You can leave it in the refrigerator overnight. In this case, you should use a large bowl that you can cover so that the batter does not overflow as it rises. Otherwise, if you are going to use it on the same day, let the dough rise in a warm place for around 1.5 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven (and the baking tray you plan to bake on) to your oven's maximum temperature, for me that's 250°C (480°F).
Take the proofed dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Oil your hands well and use your hands to divide the dough into equal parts. This recipe will make 10 medium-sized or 5 large bread rolls.
Shape each portion into a ball, turn it in the flour and use your fingers to form a flat shape (as shown in the photographs). DO NOT USE a rolling pin as the air needs to stay inside the dough. The somun should be about the thickness of a finger.
Place the somun rolls on a sheet of baking paper. If you have 10 medium-sized somuns, around 3-4 will fit on a sheet of baking paper.
Shape all the somuns all at once and let them rise a little the oven is heating up.
With the help of the back of a knife or a wooden skewer, created a grid on top of each somun.
Sprinkle each somun with water and either black cumin or sesame. For a rustic variant, dust well with flour.
Put the somuns in the oven - do this as fast as possible so that the oven does not cool down. Each one takes around 7-10 minutes (depending on the heat of the oven). They are done when the bread has inflated and is golden brown.
Take them out of the oven and wrap them in a kitchen towel.

Notes

Somun can be eaten with all kinds of spreads, salami, sausage, and antipasti. Though, they taste best with Ćevapćići!

Tasty Croatian Recipes & Cooking Tips

Comments (6)

4 tablespoons of salt?

SJ Begonja says:

December 28, 2020 at 21:47

YIKES! Thanks Ivana, that should say TEAspoons… :O Corrected now.

Reply

Hi love your recipes have made so many of them and always been a huge hit.
Just a question in regards to the Somun bread. What/how is the best way to store it and how long does the bread last.

Thanks

SJ says:

March 27, 2024 at 07:21

Keep it in an airtight container, but this bread will only last a day or two max.

Reply

Hello,
I recently tried Turkish Tantuni, served on rectangular soman bread. The inside was soft and fluffy, but the outside was crispy! Are the textures the same?

Also, what type of yogurt is best? (Greek 0%)? What percentage and type?

SJ says:

May 21, 2024 at 18:14

Hello, no Turkish Tantuni and cevapi are very different. For making somon bread, I full fat Greek yogurt works great.

Reply

How To Make Somun The Best Bread For Ćevapi