Name: Bosnian Uštipci
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled; US adaptation of German Type 550 flour); 2 1/8 teaspoons baking powder (not baking soda; spoon weights vary, so weighing is more precise); 7/8 teaspoon fine salt (US measure is approximate); 1 1/4 teaspoons granulated sugar; 8.8 oz plain whole-milk yogurt (regular unstrained yogurt, about 3.5% fat); 1 large egg (about 50 g each without shells); 4 1/4 cups sunflower oil

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Bosnian uštipci are small pieces of fried dough with a golden, lightly crisp outside and a soft, airy center. This quick version uses plain yogurt, egg, and baking powder instead of yeast. The dough is deliberately sticky: you scoop it with two lightly oiled spoons rather than rolling it out or shaping it with your hands.

A short 20-minute rest gives the flour time to absorb the moisture before frying. Small, evenly sized portions and a thermometer help keep the outside from becoming dark before the middle cooks. Break open the first fritter after it cools briefly; the center should be tender and porous, with no wet, doughy core.

Serve the uštipci warm for breakfast, as a snack, or alongside a savory meal. Plain yogurt, cheese, ajvar, commercially prepared kajmak, honey, and jam are familiar accompaniments. The recipe makes about 16 fritters; four pieces are a substantial breakfast portion, and the exact Metric formula is available alongside rounded US measurements.

Which kind of uštipci are these?

Uštipci are made in Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere in southeastern Europe, with differences between regions and households. Some versions use yeast; others use yogurt and baking powder. Shapes range from small spoon-dropped pieces to flatter or elongated forms. This recipe is the quick, spooned yogurt version, rather than a formula intended to represent every regional preparation.

Uštipci and mekike

The mekike preparation commonly made with yeast involves a longer rise and larger pieces of dough pulled by hand into irregular flat shapes before frying. These uštipci are smaller, thicker spoonfuls from a soft baking-powder dough. Do not substitute yeast, extend the rest into several hours, or stretch the dough into flatbreads while keeping the same instructions. The names and boundaries can vary locally, so the distinction here is between these particular preparations.

They also differ from sweet yeast-raised krofne, which are shaped and often filled with jam. Croatian fritule are another small fried pastry, generally directed toward a sweet serving with citrus or powdered sugar. Uštipci can work with both savory and sweet accompaniments; this dough contains only a little sugar and has no filling.

Ingredients and US shopping choices

Flour, yogurt, and egg

The original formula uses German Type 550 wheat flour. Ordinary US all-purpose flour is a practical choice for this type of dough, although flour specifications and absorption vary by brand. Use the stated weight for the most reliable comparison; the cup measure assumes 120 g per cup, spooned into the cup and leveled rather than compressed. Bread flour and self-rising flour are not interchangeable with the listed flour and separate leavener.

Choose plain regular whole-milk yogurt, close to 3.5% fat. Strained Greek yogurt has a different consistency and moisture balance, while sweetened yogurt changes the flavor. Milk is thinner and should not be substituted one-for-one simply because another uštipci recipe uses it. This fixed formula uses yogurt; it does not establish a tested milk adjustment.

A US large egg, about 50 g without its shell, is a practical match for the whole egg in the recipe. The small amounts of salt and sugar season the dough without turning it into a sweet doughnut batter. Weighing the small dry ingredients is more precise than relying on spoon densities that differ between brands.

Baking powder and frying oil

Baking powder provides the lift; baking soda is a different ingredient. Whisk it thoroughly through the flour before adding the wet mixture so that individual pieces rise evenly. Check that the powder is within its useful date and has been stored dry. Adding extra powder is not a remedy for dough made too firm with excess flour.

Use sunflower oil suitable for frying, as in the source formula. The oil quantity is the supply needed to create the frying bath, not the amount absorbed by the food. A small deep pot approximately 18–20 cm, or 7–8 inches, wide keeps the required quantity manageable. The correct depth and safe headroom matter more than emptying a measured container into a pot that cannot safely hold it.

Recognize the right dough consistency

Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the egg with yogurt in another. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with a sturdy spoon or spatula, stopping once no dry flour remains. The dough should be thick, soft, and visibly sticky. It holds a mound on the spoon and can be pushed off with a second spoon; it should not stream off like thin pancake batter.

A dry dough that rolls neatly between your hands is not the target. Extra flour may make portioning easier but can produce compact, dry fritters. Long kneading is unnecessary for this version and works against the gentle handling of the soft dough. Small irregular surfaces on the finished pieces are normal.

Rest briefly rather than proofing for hours

Cover the bowl for 20 minutes at room temperature. This short rest lets the flour take up moisture; it is not a yeast fermentation stage and does not require doubling in size. Start heating the oil during the final ten minutes so the rested dough can be fried promptly.

After resting, avoid beating, kneading, or repeatedly stirring the dough. Work directly from the bowl with the spoons. A long make-ahead hold is not part of this formula. If you double or triple the recipe, plan the frying capacity so the extra dough is not left waiting through an unnecessarily prolonged session.

Set up a controlled frying bath

Before heating, reserve a little cold oil in a small dish to coat the spoons. Put the rest in the deep pot to a depth of roughly 3–4 cm, or 1¼–1½ inches, leaving plenty of empty space above it. Never fill more than one-third of the pot. If the vessel cannot provide both the specified depth and ample headroom, use a deeper suitable pot.

Heat slowly to about 340–350°F (170–175°C). Clip a deep-fry thermometer securely so its sensing tip reads the oil without touching the bottom. During frying, maintain approximately 330–350°F (165–175°C); these Fahrenheit figures are practical rounded equivalents. The oil should actively fry the dough without racing to a dark crust.

Each addition of cool dough lowers the temperature. Fry only three or four pieces at a time with room to float and turn, and allow the oil to recover to about 340°F (170°C) before the next batch. Increasing the burner excessively while the oil is recovering can overshoot the target once the batch is removed.

Scaling does not mean filling the pot higher

The recipe controls multiply the listed ingredients, including the approximate oil supply. Keep the same safe oil depth, individual portion size, and small batch size when making more dough. Do not pour two or three times the oil into the original small pot. More fritters require additional batches, so the frying time will increase; it does not remain twenty minutes for an unlimited quantity.

Shape with oiled spoons and fry in small batches

Lightly coat two tablespoons with the reserved cold oil. Scoop a heaping portion of approximately 35–40 g, then use the second spoon to ease it into the hot oil from close above the surface. The spoons are portioning tools, not a requirement that the dough fit a level measuring tablespoon. Weighing a few portions helps establish a consistent size.

Use oil rather than water on the spoons. Water droplets entering hot oil can cause dangerous splattering. Keep the small oil dish separate from the hot pot, keep utensils dry apart from their thin oil coating, and avoid dropping dough from a height.

Fry for about two minutes until the underside is golden, turn gently, and fry for another two to three minutes. Turn with a slotted spoon rather than squeezing the pieces. Keep watching both the color and thermometer. The timing is a guide for the specified small portions, not a substitute for checking the center.

Check the first fritter before continuing

Remove the first cooked piece, let it cool briefly, and break it open. A properly cooked center is soft and airy, with a set crumb rather than a sticky or wet core. A dark exterior alone does not prove that the middle is ready.

If the crust becomes dark before the inside cooks, the oil may be too hot or the portion too large. Correct excessive heat within the stated range and make subsequent portions smaller rather than increasing the temperature. Keep the remaining pieces frying until cooked through; do not taste raw dough.

Lift cooked fritters out with the slotted spoon, allow excess oil to drain, then place them on the prepared paper towels or lined rack. Avoid immediately piling them into a covered bowl: trapped steam softens the surface. Let them stand for two or three minutes before serving, because the center is hot even when the outside feels manageable.

Troubleshooting uštipci

Dark outside, wet inside

Review portion size and the actual oil reading. Oversized pieces take longer for heat to reach the center, and oil above the target browns the outside too quickly. Check another opened fritter after adjusting the next batch. Do not judge all later batches solely by the color of the first one.

Greasy or heavy fritters

Low oil temperature and an overcrowded pot can lead to excessive oil uptake. Allow recovery between batches, maintain space around the pieces, and drain promptly. Paper towels cannot fully correct oil already absorbed during sluggish frying. There is no need to add extra flour to solve a temperature problem.

Dense dough or uneven puffing

Dense fritters can result from excess flour, overworking, or weakened baking powder. The dough is supposed to stay sticky. Uneven rising can also come from poorly distributed leavener or very different portion sizes. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the yogurt and egg, then keep the final mixing brief.

Serving savory or sweet uštipci

Serve freshly fried uštipci with plain yogurt, a mild cheese, ajvar, or commercially prepared kajmak from a properly refrigerated source. This recipe does not rely on a homemade kajmak preparation. They can also accompany soups and stews in place of bread.

For a sweet serving, offer honey, jam, or a little powdered sugar separately. Those toppings do not need to be mixed into the dough. Pogača, cheese-filled kiflice, and other breakfast breads can form a larger spread, while prženice are a different preparation using already baked bread dipped in an egg mixture. Four uštipci are a substantial portion; offer fewer when several other dishes are on the table.

Storage, reheating, and handling used oil

Freshly fried uštipci have the clearest contrast between the lightly crisp surface and soft interior. Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a closed container within two hours; use within two days. Reheat at 355°F (180°C) for approximately five to seven minutes, until hot throughout. An air fryer may also reheat them, but this formula does not establish a separate tested setting. The microwave warms the interior while softening the crust.

Cooked, cooled pieces can be frozen individually on a tray and then packed together. The source does not provide a tested freezer duration or an exact reheating schedule from frozen, so no precise promise is given here. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat; expect a softer surface than on freshly fried pieces. Freezing this uncooked dough is a different workflow and is not specified.

After frying, turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely in a safe location before moving, filtering, or disposing of it. Suitable reuse depends on its condition and previous heating; discard oil that has deteriorated rather than assuming it can be reused indefinitely. Follow local disposal guidance and never pour frying oil down a drain.

Bosnian Uštipci Recipe – Quick Yogurt Fritters