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Prebranac
Prebranac (пребранац): Serbian white beans baked in layers with slow-cooked onion and paprika
Serbian Orthodox fasting days, and Christmas Eve above all, call for a big clay dish of prebranac, because it is rich and filling without a scrap of meat or dairy. Cooked white beans are layered with a mountain of onions stewed slowly in sunflower oil and red paprika, then baked until the top turns into a dark, chewy crust while the inside stays creamy. Expect sweet onion, earthy beans and a gentle warmth from hot paprika; eat it with crusty bread, pickled peppers and a sharp cabbage salad. The beans need soaking overnight before you start. Where most people go wrong is adding the paprika to sizzling oil, where it scorches in seconds and makes the whole dish bitter, so always take the pan off the heat first. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead and bake it again before serving, as Serbian cooks say prebranac is only properly good the second time.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beans
- 1 ⅛ lb dried white beanssoaked overnight in plenty of cold water
- 2 tsp salt
For the onions
- 4 onionsabout 800 g, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 4 cloves garlicsliced
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprikaor chilli flakes
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 dried red chillies (optional)whole
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped, to serve
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 1 ⅛ lb dried white beans, cover with fresh cold water in a large pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse; this first water carries off much of what makes beans hard to digest.
15 minStep 2: Return the beans to the pan with fresh water to cover by 5 cm and the 2 bay leaves. Simmer gently, half covered, for 50–60 minutes, until a bean crushes easily against the roof of your mouth but still holds its shape.
55 minStep 3: Stir in half the 1 tsp salt for the last 10 minutes. Drain the beans, keeping 400 ml of the cooking liquid.
2 minStep 4: Meanwhile, warm ½ cup sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the 4 onions with the rest of the 1 tsp salt. Cook slowly, stirring now and then, for 25 minutes, until very soft, sweet and pale gold rather than brown.
25 minStep 5: Stir in 4 cloves garlic for the last 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, wait 30 seconds, then stir in 2 tbsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp hot paprika and 1 tsp black pepper; the oil should turn brick red without sizzling.
3 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread a third of the onions over the base of a 25 cm round clay or ovenproof dish, add half the beans, then another third of the onions, the rest of the beans and finish with the last of the onions. Tuck in the 2 dried red chillies if using.
5 minStep 7: Pour the reserved bean liquid down the side of the dish until it just shows between the beans at the top.
1 minStep 8: Bake uncovered for 50–60 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, the edges bubble thickly and the top has a dark red, chewy crust.
55 minStep 9: Rest for 10 minutes so it firms up, then scatter with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley if you like and serve warm or at room temperature.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 17 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does prebranac take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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