Bijela pita is a traditional cake in Croatia and several other countries in the Balkans. Here is an easy-to-make bijela pita recipe; this Croatian white slice is sure to please.
“Bijela pita” is another traditional cake in Croatia and several other countries in the Balkans. It’s also considered to be like a “sister dessert” to Mađarica, one of the most popular cakes in our region. Bijela Pita is usually made for the holidays and various celebrations, such as birthdays and weddings.
Bijela pita, or if translated exactly, “white pie,” was considered a dessert for the people in the countryside, mainly working in agriculture considered less wealthy than those in the big cities. The reason for that is that you don’t need a lot of money to make this slice, and it’s often the case that you’ll already have all the ingredients at your house.
Nowadays, it’s one of the most loved desserts to be seen on the tables.
Don’t be afraid of making this dessert for fear that it’s complicated – it’s not! Making the dough is very simple; you just need to mix it and roll it out, and the filling is one the most accessible creams to make – and then, that’s it, you’ll have yourself one delicious dessert in around an hour.
Bijela Pita Recipe (White Slice)
Bijela pita is a traditional cake in Croatia and several other countries in the Balkans. Here is an easy to make bijela pita recipe, this Croatian white slice is sure to please.
Ingredients
The dough:
- 400 g flour (2 3/4 cups)
- 100 g sugar (0.5 cup)
- 120 g lard (2/3 cup)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tbsp milk
The filling:
- 500 ml milk (2 1/4 cups)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 150 g sugar (3/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence (or 1 packet vanilla sugar)
- 100 g butter (7 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Mix all the dough ingredients, to make a ball of dough. It should be smooth and soft
- Shape it into a ball, leave it in a bowl, and cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour
- Divide the dough into 4 same-sized pieces and, using a rolling pin, roll them out around 3-4 mm thick
- Bake the 4 pieces of dough in a pre-heated over (180°C/350°F) until they are slightly golden on the edges.
- Transfer to wire racks and let the sheets cool down. Hot tip: One trick before baking the sheets, is to use your tray as a template and cut the 4 rolled out sheets to the exact size/shape - this makes the final assembly much fast, easier and neater
- In a saucepan heat, the milk with sugar and vanilla sugar. Add the flour slowly while constantly stirring. Cook until the mixture starts to get thick (it will take a few minutes). Set aside to cool.
- When the filling has cooled down, add in the butter, and with an electric hand mixer, mix until you get a soft cream-like texture
- Now we need to start assembling this delicious dessert. Place the first sheet of pastry put on a tray and cover with 1/3 of the filling. Spread the filling evenly before putting on the second layer of the pastry.
- Continue to do so until you have used all 4 sheets and filling. Simplified: pastry-filling-pastry-filling-pastry-filling-pastry
- Dust with powdered sugar and let it rest in a fridge overnight
- Slice it and serve it the next day
Notes
The reason for letting the slice rest overnight is so that the pastry has time to soften and is easier to slice.
More Tasty Croatian Recipes
- Sarma Recipe {Stuffed Cabbage Rolls}
- Prežgana Soup (Brown Roux Soup)
- Meat and Cheese Burek
- Stuffed Peppers {Punjene Paprike}
- Klipići {rolls}
- Under the bell {Ispod čripnje}
- Pasticada Recipe
- Rizi Bizi
- Skampi
- Rizot Od Kozica (Shrimp And Risotto)
- Trogirski Rafioli {Filled Cookies}
- Breskvice – Peach Shaped Cookies
Is there a substitute for lard? If not where can I purchase. I’m in Australia
You can buy lard in Woolworths and the like :D
Kirsty,
You can use butter / margarine in place of lard. I always do :)
What is the size the dough should be ? Dimensions?
Great recipe, I found it took 17 mins in my oven to be perfectly baked.
I’m lazy with shaping the dough, i placed them in small freezer bags and rolled them in the shape of that , so they all come up even and the same size and then cut the bags off.
Also instead of adding the butter at the end I made a Roux with the butter and flour and then added the milk/ sugar and vanilla .
Whipped up perfect and lump free.
Thanks for the recipe.
My cream keeps splitting what am I doing wrong
Cream tends to split when exposed to high heat, especially if it’s close to boiling. Additionally, lower fat creams or dairy products with high acidity can also lead to splitting.