Name: Projara
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 12 squares
Cuisine: Serbian
Ingredients: 250 g fine cornmeal; 150 g plain wheat flour; 15 g baking powder; 6 g fine salt; 3 large eggs, about 150 g without shells; 400 ml plain full-fat yogurt; 100 ml sunflower oil; 250 g white brined cheese, coarsely crumbled

Yield 12 squares

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

Passive time 15 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Projara — Serbian cornmeal bake with yogurt and white brined cheese

Projara occupies the richer end of Serbia’s corn-bread family. Compared with a lean, plain proja, this version uses eggs, yogurt, oil and white brined cheese, with some wheat flour alongside cornmeal. That combination produces a moist, sliceable crumb and a browned crust rather than the drier, more austere character of cornmeal and water alone. The cheese should remain in small pockets so that the interior is not uniformly salty or pasty.

The ratio of cornmeal to wheat flour is important. Cornmeal supplies the defining grain flavour and a faintly sandy tenderness; wheat flour adds enough gluten-forming protein to help the baked square hold together. It should not be mixed as if it were bread dough. Once the wet and dry mixtures meet, brief stirring is enough. Continued beating strengthens the wheat portion and pushes the texture away from tender cornbread toward a tougher quick bread.

A preheated metal pan changes the way the first minutes of baking behave. Batter hitting a hot, lightly oiled surface begins setting at the edges and base immediately, which helps form the savoury crust that contrasts with the soft centre. The oven itself is held at 200 °C. The centre is ready when it is fully set and a skewer comes away without wet batter; colour alone is not reliable because cheese and cornmeal can brown before the middle is baked through.

Baking powder supplies controlled lift, while beaten eggs and yogurt contribute moisture and tenderness. There is no need to whip the eggs to a foam or to create separate stages that the dish does not have. The cheese is folded in only after the batter comes together. Crushing it into a completely smooth mixture would erase the characteristic little salty pockets and also make it harder to judge whether the batter itself has been overmixed.

A short cooling period is part of the method. Straight from the oven, steam is still moving through the crumb and the squares can tear. Fifteen minutes on a rack is enough for the structure to settle while keeping the projara warm. Serve it as breakfast, a savoury snack or a side; yogurt alongside is natural, but the bake is complete without adding a second dairy sauce to the recipe itself.

Practical

ControlPreheat the pan as well as the oven so the lower crust sets quickly.
ControlMix only until the dry flour disappears; extended beating makes the wheat portion tougher.
ControlKeep the cheese in small irregular pieces rather than blending it completely into the batter.

Ingredients

250 g fine cornmeal
150 g plain wheat flour
15 g baking powder
6 g fine salt
3 large eggs, about 150 g without shells
400 ml plain full-fat yogurt
100 ml sunflower oil
250 g white brined cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions

Preheat the oven and panHeat the oven to 200 °C with the 23 × 33 cm metal pan inside for 10 minutes. Reserve a little of the measured oil for greasing the hot pan. The pan should be fully hot before the batter is added; use oven gloves when handling it.
Mix wet and dry ingredients separatelyWhisk the eggs, yogurt, remaining oil and salt for about 3 minutes until smooth. In a second bowl, mix the cornmeal, wheat flour and baking powder until the leavening is evenly dispersed.
Fold the batter with the cheeseFold the dry mixture into the wet for about 2 minutes, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains. Fold in the crumbled cheese without crushing every piece. The batter should be thick and pourable, with small cheese pieces still visible; bake it immediately once the baking powder is hydrated.
Bake until the centre is setGrease the hot pan with the reserved oil, pour in the batter and bake at 200 °C for 30 minutes. The top should be deep golden, the centre set and a skewer inserted in the middle should come out without wet batter. Do not use taste or appearance as a substitute for safe handling of raw egg batter before baking.
Cool before cuttingLeave the projara in the pan for 15 minutes at room temperature. Cut it into 12 squares only after visible steam has subsided and the crumb holds its shape; do not cover it while it is piping hot.

Practical

Serving

Cut after the 15-minute set and serve warm or at room temperature.

Make-ahead

Bake earlier the same day without covering while hot; once cool, cover to prevent drying.

Storage

Refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below and use within 3–4 days.

Reheating

Warm individual squares briefly until steaming rather than drying the entire pan again.

Substitutions

Replace white brined cheese with another firm full-fat brined cheese of similar moisture and salinity only when needed. A wetter cheese loosens the batter and a saltier cheese requires reducing the added salt

Control points

Dense, gummy centreGuidance: Underbaking or excessive mixing.Adjustment: Bake until the centre is fully set and mix the batter only until combined.
Dry, crumbly squaresGuidance: Too little dairy or overbaking.Adjustment: Keep the yogurt and oil amounts exact and remove the pan once the skewer no longer shows wet batter.

Nutrition

Serving size1 of 12 squares (about 95 g)
Calories285 kcal
Carbohydrates29 g
Protein8 g
Fat15 g
Fibre2 g
Sodium600 mg

Figures are approximate and will vary with ingredient brands, trimming, absorption and exact portioning.

Allergens and food safety

Egg, milk, and wheat/gluten. Despite the cornmeal, this recipe contains plain wheat flour and therefore contains wheat and gluten. Do not taste the raw egg batter. Refrigerate baked projara within 2 hours if it will not be eaten promptly. Store at 4 °C or below and use within 3–4 days.

Result: Golden squares with a moist cornmeal crumb and small cheese pockets.

Key: Mix briefly and bake in a preheated pan until the centre is fully set.