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Golden spiral krompiruša with thin pastry layers and a potato filling visible in a cut piece

Krompiruša (Bosnian Potato Pie)

434kcal
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Prep 50 minutes
Cook 43 minutes
Dough and final rests 1 hour
Total 2 hours 33 minutes
Hand-stretched Bosnian potato pie with a simple potato-and-onion filling, loosely rolled into a spiral. Bake until the potatoes are tender, then finish with a small hot salted-water-and-oil pour and a brief covered rest.
Servings 8 servings
Course Main Course
Cuisine Bosnian

Ingredients

Dough
  • 17.6 oz unbleached all-purpose flour not self-rising; weighing recommended
  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water for the dough
  • 1 1/3 tsp fine salt for the dough; US volume assumes fine table salt
  • 4 tsp sunflower oil for coating the dough balls after kneading
Work surface
  • 2 1/2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour for lightly dusting the cloth; use only as needed from the measured amount
Potato filling
  • 2.2 lb medium-starch potatoes peeled weight; yellow potatoes such as Yukon Gold; coarsely grated
  • 6.3 oz yellow onion peeled and very finely diced or coarsely grated
  • 3 1/3 tbsp sunflower oil for the filling; 1/3 tbsp equals 1 tsp
  • 1 2/3 tsp fine salt add immediately before filling; US volume assumes fine table salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper US volume approximate; grind size varies
Pan and surface
  • 4 tsp sunflower oil divide equally between the pan and the top of the assembled pie
Hot finishing pour
  • 5/8 cup water for the finishing pour
  • 2 tsp sunflower oil for the finishing pour
  • 1/3 tsp fine salt for the finishing pour; US volume approximate

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale recommended for precise dough hydration, peeled potatoes, salt, and flour
  • Large mixing bowl and rolling pin for mixing and initially rolling the dough
  • Large clean cotton cloth or tablecloth smooth and lint-free; used for stretching and rolling
  • Coarse box grater, strainer, and filling bowl to grate the potatoes and remove freely released liquid
  • Round metal baking pan about 12 1/2 inches (32 cm) across for the base recipe. Use comparable separate pans for 2x/3x; do not pile a deeper filling into the same pan.
  • Pastry brush and small saucepan for the measured oil and hot finishing liquid
  • Wire rack and clean kitchen towel for the final 10-minute rest
Start Cooking

Method

  1. Mix and knead. Mix the dough flour and dough salt in a bowl. Gradually add the lukewarm dough water and mix to form a dough. Knead firmly for 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft, and elastic, without kneading in extra flour. It may be slightly tacky but should not remain a rough, strongly sticky mass.
  2. Pause and knead again. Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Knead again for about 1 minute.
  3. Coat and rest the dough. For each pan being made, divide its dough into two similar balls. Brush the balls all over with the measured dough-coating oil, dividing the oil evenly. Set apart on a plate or tray, cover so they do not dry out, and rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.
  4. Prepare the potato filling. Toward the end of the rest, peel and weigh the potatoes, rinse, and dry well. Coarsely grate, then gently squeeze portions by hand to remove only freely released liquid; do not wring completely dry. Mix with the prepared onion, filling oil, and black pepper. Hold back the filling salt until immediately before filling.
  5. Heat the oven and grease the pan. Preheat a conventional oven to 410°F (210°C). Use half of the pan-and-surface oil to brush the bottom and sides of the pan or pans. Spread a clean cotton cloth on a large table and lightly dust it with part of the measured work-surface flour.
  6. Begin stretching a sheet. Remove rings, bracelets, and watches. Set a dough ball on the cloth and roll initially to roughly 14–16 inches (35–40 cm) across. Slip the backs of your hands underneath and gently stretch from the center outward. Work gradually around the sheet, keeping the rest of the dough covered.
  7. Stretch nearly transparent. Continue stretching until the cloth is visible through the dough and the thickness is fairly even. Avoid pulling with fingertips or forcing a resistant patch. Trim only thick edges that will not stretch thin. Small tears are acceptable; do not repeatedly rework the entire sheet.
  8. Salt and distribute the filling. Immediately before filling, mix the filling salt through the potatoes. Allocate equal filling to each dough sheet. On a stretched sheet, arrange its filling in two even strips along opposite long edges, leaving about 1 inch (3 cm) of dough clear outside the filling.
  9. Make two loose rolls per sheet. Fold each outer dough edge over its filling. Lift the near side of the cloth to roll that side loosely toward the middle, then repeat from the opposite side. Cut along the clear center to separate the two rolls. Do not compress them tightly.
  10. Arrange the spiral. Place a roll seam-side down around the outer edge of the pan and continue inward with the next. Cut to manageable lengths if necessary and gently close open ends. Repeat stretching and rolling with the remaining dough and filling. Fill each pan evenly without crowding or making a deeper pile. Brush the top with the remaining pan-and-surface oil.
  11. Bake in two stages. Bake on a lower-middle rack for 15 minutes at 410°F (210°C). Reduce to 390°F (200°C) and bake for about 25 minutes more, until evenly golden. Check the filling at an inconspicuous point with a thin knife: the potatoes must be completely tender, with no firm or crunchy center. If not, bake in additional 3–5-minute intervals before using the pour.
  12. Boil the finishing liquid. During the final baking minutes, combine the finishing water, finishing oil, and finishing salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil, then remove from the heat.
  13. Pour over the baked pie. Carefully remove the fully baked pie from the oven. Slowly distribute the hot finishing liquid over the hot pie, moistening the spaces between the rolls as well as the surface. Take care around steam and splashes. Return to the 390°F (200°C) oven for 3 minutes.
  14. Rest and portion. Set the pan on a wire rack, loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel, and rest for 10 minutes. Divide the whole pie into the listed servings, cutting portions into smaller pieces if desired. Serve warm; refrigerate leftovers promptly as described in the notes.

Nutrition

Calories434kcalCarbohydrates71.58gProtein9.1gFat12.3gSaturated Fat1.33gSodium991.22mgFiber5.23gSugar2.57g

Notes

  • Exact formula: The dough uses 300 ml water per 500 g flour, approximately 60% hydration. The dough-coating oil is brushed on after kneading, not mixed into the flour. Use unbleached all-purpose wheat flour, not self-rising or gluten-free flour. US weights and volumes are rounded; Metric is the precise reference.
  • Oil allocation: Keep the coating, filling, pan-and-top, and finishing oil separate. Split the pan-and-top oil equally between greasing the pan and brushing the pie. One-third of a US tablespoon equals one teaspoon; all oil volumes are rounded US equivalents of the Metric amounts.
  • Dough portions and scaling: The base recipe uses two dough balls for one pan; each stretched sheet makes two rolls. For 2x/3x use two/three comparable pans and four/six similar dough balls. Keep thickness and filling depth comparable. Oven space and sequential baking can extend total elapsed time.
  • Potatoes: The listed weight is after peeling. Medium-starch yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, are a practical US choice. Drain only freely released liquid; do not squeeze completely dry. Salt immediately before filling. A finely diced variation uses pieces no larger than about 3/16 inch (5 mm); its timing still requires a tenderness check.
  • Timing: The 43-minute bake includes 15 minutes at 410°F (210°C), 25 minutes at 390°F (200°C), and 3 minutes after the hot pour. Additional baking may be needed for tender potatoes. Custom rest time includes the initial 5-minute pause, 45-minute oiled-dough rest, and 10-minute final rest. Total is a conservative sum; some preparation can overlap.
  • Finishing: Check potato tenderness before adding the hot finishing liquid. The pour moistens an already baked pie; it does not cook a raw center. Pour slowly to avoid splashing hot liquid or oil.
  • Serving: Divide the complete pie into the listed number of portions. Cut each portion into smaller pieces if desired rather than relying on a fixed total piece count. Yogurt, ayran, sour cream, and salad are optional accompaniments, not part of the formula or nutrition.
  • Storage: Refrigerate portions promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 2 days. Reheat throughout to 165°F (74°C), in an oven around 350°F (180°C) or carefully in a covered skillet. Freeze portions for about 2 months for quality; thaw in the refrigerator. No personal storage test is claimed.
  • Nutrition: Independently calculated from USDA SR Legacy records per one-eighth of the complete pie. Counts all flour, including work-surface flour, and all oil. Oil density is approximated as 0.92 g/ml; the full recipe uses 100 ml, approximately 92 g. Raw white potato with skin is a composition proxy for peeled yellow potatoes. Unused flour, trimmed dough, squeezed potato liquid, and oil left in the pan can lower actual intake. No laboratory analysis or personal kitchen test is claimed.