Prebranac or baked beans is my favorite home dish. You can prepare it with any bean you like but best tasting prebranac will be with red or white bean. Prebranac with white bean is more common in Serbia, so if you want original pleasure you should prepare it that way. This meal takes some time to cook so be patient and I promisee – you will enjoy every bite.
Prebranac – Serbian Baked Beans Recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
We eat baked beans very often in Serbia, it’s a true spirit of our country!
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) beans
- 5 onions
- 5-6 tsp ground pepper
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- about 1 cup (250ml) sunflower oil
- salt
- ground chilly pepper, as you like
Instructions
- First, cook beans in lot of water until boiling.
- When boiled change the water and cook again until almost done or enough soft so you can eat it without any problem.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C and prepare clay dish for baking.
- Put cooked beans into the clay dish, cover with chopped onions and garlic, season, pour the oil in and bake covered for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Serve extra hot!
Notes
- Cooking time depends of bean you use.
- It’s important to cook bean before baking until it’s almost completely cooked (soft).
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Eastern European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
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- Red Beans and Rice Chicken
- Simple Pasta with Beans
- Roasted Cod, Green Beans, and Potatoes
Frequently Asked Questions
Which bean gives the most authentic prebranac?
Milica notes that prebranac can be made with any bean, but white bean is most common in Serbia and produces the most traditional result. Red bean is the next popular choice; both work well, but white bean gives a creamier, milder texture after the long oven bake.
Why does the recipe tell you to change the water after the first boil?
Discarding the first boiling water and starting fresh removes compounds that cause digestive discomfort and any bitter foam that rises during the initial boil, resulting in a cleaner, more digestible dish.
Why do the beans need to be almost fully cooked before going in the oven?
The notes specifically warn to pre-cook the beans until they are soft enough to eat before baking. Baking alone won’t fully cook a raw bean — the oven phase (at least 1 hour 30 minutes at 200°C) is for absorbing the onion, garlic, and oil flavors, not for cooking the bean through.
Can u use pinto beans in the last dish -?
I would love Milica to contact me. Maybe Serbian friends in common.
I have made this dish and it is delicious.
Marina Milica Cobbold.
i came accross your blog i love Serbian cooking that was introduced to me by Dragana Jevtovic. Keep the good work up all the best from South Africa