Komiška pogača is a delicious bread that is native to the island of Vis. It is filled with a variety of flavors including tomato, herbs and anchovies. Learn how to make it with this pogača recipe that the whole family will be asking for more of.
Before we dive in, let’s take a brief look at Croatian history and the origin of the recipe.
Croatian islands offer some of the most breathtaking views and is filled with small stone villages, amazing history, interesting cultures, and beautiful traditions. While wandering through their beauties, you can almost feel how those ancient souls accompany you on all the explorations.
Meeting the local life is a way to truly meet the island, find its virtues, hidden places, and most of all, to meet its way of being. Croatia is has a wonderfully picturesque nature and coastal line equal by beauty to that of Greece for example.
One of the most popular Croatian sites is Dubrovnik, which is often regarded as among the top destinations one should visit at least once in their lifetime.
You’ll be mesmerized and will fall in love at the place.
One of the most beautiful Croatian islands is definitely the island of Vis. Vis is a protruding island in the Adriatic Sea. Not only does it have breathtaking views and natural beauty but also an amazing traditional life and cuisine.
Our love for international cuisine can also be found with our Danish Rugbrod Recipe and our Nordic Stone Age Paleo Bread. Both offer more cultural cuisine flavors to get those taste buds moving.
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Influences & History
Vis, also known as Lissa in the Italian and Issa in the old Greek, is an island that was and still is a key point of all the sea routes, inhabitants of different origins, and diverse cultures. These features connect the present day and the ancient times of the island of Vis. Two of the most important towns on the island are called Vis and Komiža and they are located on opposite sides of the island.
For centuries, Vis was an independent island state, first as a Greek colony and then as a Roman city. The rich archaeological heritage can now mostly be found on the mainland, as well as in the sea which surrounds the island.
Due to the already mentioned diversity, the island’s tradition was influenced by a lot of different civilizations such as Greeks and Italians, which left their traces on the island. The history of the island isn’t completely known since Vis is really isolated but thanks to its pieces of architecture, as well as to the folklore, which is passed on to generations and generations, some of the gaps in the island’s history are slowly fill in.
Civilizations and conquerors certainly influenced the inhabitants’ life and brought new traditions, especially new recipes which now, present the island’s classic, traditional, and delicious cuisine.
The Two Traditional Types Of Pogača
The island of Vis has 2 important towns called Vis and Komiža. The towns are situated on the 2 sides of the island. Vis is situated on the northeast side of the island, while Komiža is located on the western side.
Both towns have their own recipe for the island’s trademark pie (or Croatian pogača) and due to that, one is called viška pogača, while the one we’re preparing today is called komiska pogača.
Both recipes have the same main ingredients – homemade dough, salty anchovies, onions, olives, and olive oil.
The difference between the two breads is one simple ingredient, tomato juice. Viska pogaca does not use it while komiska pogaca does.
Tomatoes nicely combine all the main ingredients, and they certainly contribute to the final flavors and aromas.
What is interesting is that in the past, the inhabitants were only preparing komiska pogaca during the summer because that was the only time of the year when they had fresh tomatoes, so the rest of the year, they were preparing pogača without the tomatoes or simply – they were preparing classic viška pogača.
However, it is important to distinguish these recipes because they both present the traditional cuisine of the island of Vis, but they present it in their own unique and specific way.
Due to that, both viška and komiska pogaca are the trademarks of the island’s cuisine! But now, let’s focus on the specific virtues of komiska pogaca which is our main dish today!
Komiska Pogača Recipe
Komiska Pogača Recipe
Komiška pogača is a wonderful filled bread from the Island of Vis. The flavors of anchovies and tomato are savory - yet salty and make for a great afternoon snack.
Ingredients
- 7 3/4 cup bread flour
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
- 5 teaspoons dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 5-10 olives
- Olive oil
- Fresh parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 2/3 cup tomato juice
- 3 ounces salted anchovies
Instructions
- Mix flour, water, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add a bit of olive oil to the mixture and mix all the ingredients.
- Continue mixing and kneading dough, or use stand mixer with dough hook until dough is firm.
- Spread a layer of flour a counter or board and place dough on it, continue kneading for a few more minutes and then cover with cloth and let sit for 1-2 hours.
- Clean the anchovies and cut onion into small pieces.
- Heat a small bit of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and tomato juice and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Prepare a 9″ x 13″ baking dish by greasing bottom and sides.
- Divide dough into 2 balls, with one being a bit bigger than the other. Roll the bigger dough out until it is about 1/8″ high. Place into the bottom of your baking dish. It will be large, it is ok to let the dough hang over the sides as we will use this layer to seal in the filling.
- Gently spoon the tomato sauce and onion mixture onto the dough then add anchovies and olive pieces on the top. Finally, add the oregano, pepper and parsley.
- Roll out the smaller dough until about 1/8″ thick and place it over the filling. Pull the edges from the lower dough up over the top dough layer and press edges together to “seal” the inner layer.
- Prick the dough with a fork and let rest for 15 minutes. Brush top with olive oil.
- Heat oven to 400 °F and bake the pie for 35 minutes. Once finished remove and cover with cloth and let sit for 15 minutes.
Notes
If you prefer to make the viška pogača version of this bread, you can simply remove the tomato juice from the recipe.
This Komiška pogača recipe allows you to make a simple pie that was once the main dish of the poor families of fisherman for centuries. Today, it presents a trademark of the island. It is made of the simplest and accessible ingredients such as homemade dough, salted anchovies, onion, tomato sauce, olives, and olive oil.
It is really easy to prepare it and it doesn’t take too much time with the preparation, nor with the kneading and baking process.
In order to make perfect komiska pogaca, the most important part of the preparation is the dough. You need to knead it really well and once you get a firm ball, cover it with the cloth and let it rest for at least an hour.
When it comes to the filling, just make sure to clean the anchovies so your pie doesn’t have bones. Also, I would recommend you use homemade tomato juice, its flavors certainly combine better with the rest of the ingredients, but in case you don’t have it, don’t worry – the pie will still be amazingly delicious in case you use tomato juice from the store!
Pogača Ingredients
There are separate ingredients for the bread and for the filling as outlined below.
For The Bread
- 7 3/4 cup bread flour
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
- 5 teaspoons dry yeast
For The Filling
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 5-10 olives
- Olive oil
- Fresh parsley
- 1 onion
- 1 2/3 cup tomato juice
- 3 ounces salted anchovies
Pogača Preparation
The whole process of preparing the bread will take about 2-3 hours. I recommend handling the bread first, then work on the filling. You will need a stand mixed with a dough hook to be able to achieve the right consistency.
Step 1
Mix flour, water, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add a bit of olive oil to the mixture and mix all the ingredients.
Step 2
Continue mixing and kneading dough, or use stand mixer with dough hook until dough is firm.
Step 3
Flour a counter or board and place dough on it, continue kneading for a few more minutes and then cover with cloth and let sit for 1-2 hours.
Step 4
Clean the anchovies and cut onion into small pieces.
Step 5
Heat a small bit of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and tomato juice and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Step 6
Prepare a 9″ x 13″ baking dish by greasing bottom and sides.
Step 7
Divide dough into 2 balls, with one being a bit bigger than the other. Roll the bigger dough out until it is about 1/8″ high. Place into the bottom of your baking dish. It will be large, it is ok to let the dough hang over the sides as we will use this layer to seal in the filling.
Step 8
Gently spoon the tomato sauce and onion mixture onto the dough then add anchovies and olive pieces on the top. Finally, add the oregano, pepper and parsley.
Step 9
Roll out the smaller dough until about 1/8″ thick and place it over the filling. Pull the edges from the lower dough up over the top dough layer and press edges together to “seal” the inner layer.
Step 10
Prick the dough with a fork and let rest for 15 minutes. Brush top with olive oil.
Step 11
Heat oven to 400 °F and bake the pie for 35 minutes.
Once finished remove and cover with cloth and let sit for 15 minutes. Then cut into squares and enjoy with a glass of red wine.
Remember if you want to make viška pogača instead – the recipe is the same, just remove the tomato juice from the above recipe.
The Island of Vis Cuisine
Since the island of Vis is quite isolated, its inhabitants were using simple ingredients in order to make tasty dishes enriched with beautiful aromas and flavors which provided enough nutritional value and strength.
The people were using ingredients that were suitable to their material availability, as well as those that were easily accessible. And those were the basis for the traditional cuisine of the island of Vis. But thanks to the Greek influence, the inhabitants started to experiment more with the different ingredients, seasonings, and herbs.
Today, the island offers some of the most delicious dishes on the Croatian coast. Its unique microclimate, the rich and fertile plateau, as well as numerous fields, are the basis of its quality cuisine. And that, in the combination with influences from the past which brought diversity over the entire island, guarantees delicious flavors, outstanding aromas, and beautiful nuances.
The inhabitants prepare fresh and seasonal ingredients in the traditional way with a touch of art and innovative ideas, as well as imaginative recipes created from the need to use every single ingredient which is available and accessible to them. Two of the most famous recipes of Vis are for its classic and delicious pie.
