Albanian Soda Bread (Kulaç)

Sliced homemade bread shown with olives, tomatoes and cheese.

This delicious soda bread is called Kulaç (kulach) in Albanian cuisine. Traditionally it was served on weddings, religious celebrations or breakfast on January 1st. Currently, most homemakers make it to remember national cuisine or traditions.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine Albanian, Mediterranean

Keyword Albanian soda bread, kulac, No yeast bread

Prep Time 1 10

Cook Time 50

Cooling time 1

Total Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 270kcal

Author Sonila

Equipment

round baking dish or Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
1.5 cups plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
0..25 - 0.5 cups warm water
1.5 tsp baking soda try to use fresh baking soda, its qualities change if it has been exposed to humidity.
1 tbsp salt
0.5 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

Dissolve baking soda, salt and sugar into ¼ cup of warm water. Mix well. Then place 4 cups of bread flour into a wide dish. Create a well or crater in the middle and add the water/soda mix in the middle. Start mixing slowly. Then add the yogurt and continue mixing and folding the flour and yogurt forming dough. If needed add few more tbsps of warm water. See video below for visualization.
Once dough is ready, drizzle olive oil over it and give it one more kneading, shape it into a ball. Dust the surface where you will bake the bread with flour, place the dough in it and let the dough rise on its own for an hour or so in a warm corner of your kitchen.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahreinheit (about 200 degrees Celsius). Bake bread for about 40-50 minutes. Usually at about 30 minutes, when the outside of the bread is well into golden-brown, I cover the cast iron Dutch Oven with its lid.
Once baked, place bread on a cooling rack and cover with a towel. Let the bread cool for at least an hour before cutting it. Enjoy it for breakfast or snack. Usually it's served with butter and cheese. You can serve it as side dish too with Mediterranean Mezes like shown in my pictures. Enjoy:)

Video

Notes

Make sure baking soda is fresh.
Water quantity may vary between 0.25 cup to 0.5 cup because of water content in yogurt, humidity and even altitude. All these things make a difference when making the dough.
Get creative with your fork when adding designs to the dough before baking:)

Nutrition