Proja — Serbian Cornbread with Cheese

Serbian Non Fasting Published April 21, 2026

Non-Fasting Recipe: This dish contains meat, dairy, or eggs and is intended for feast days and non-fasting periods.

Savoury Serbian cornbread — a quick bread made from cornmeal, yogurt, eggs, and crumbled white cheese.
Served warm with breakfast, alongside soups, or as an accompaniment to grilled meats. Every Serbian
grandmother has her version. Fast, forgiving, and the perfect bread to mop up stew juices.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (cheese, yogurt, eggs, butter)

SERVINGS: 10 (one 23×33 cm pan)
TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:
- 400 g fine cornmeal (not polenta — fine grind)
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 300 ml plain full-fat yogurt
- 200 ml sparkling mineral water or milk
- 4 large eggs
- 100 ml sunflower oil, plus more for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300 g Serbian white cheese (or feta + farmer's cheese), crumbled
- 100 g kajmak or cream cheese (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for topping

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Oil a 23×33 cm baking dish generously.
2. In a large bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk yogurt, sparkling water (or milk), eggs, and oil.
4. Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined — a thick, spoonable batter.
5. Fold in crumbled cheese and kajmak (if using). Break up any big lumps of cheese.
6. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Smooth the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake 35-40 minutes until deeply golden and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Cut into squares. Serve warm with butter, yogurt, or as a side.

NOTES:
- Sparkling water makes proja notably lighter than using still water or milk. The bubbles aerate the batter.
- Serbian "beli sir" (white cheese) is the tradition. Feta gives you the right salt profile; farmer's cheese gives the right texture.
- Proja keeps for 3 days at room temperature wrapped. Reheats beautifully in a 180C oven.
- Traditional companion dish to prebranac (baked beans), kiseli kupus (pickled cabbage), or any Serbian meat stew.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 340 | Protein: 13 g | Carbohydrates: 34 g | Fat: 18 g | Fibre: 2 g