By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026
Proziaki are small soda breads from Podkarpacie in south-eastern Poland, cooked in a dry pan until both sides are golden and the centre is soft. They need no yeast, no oven and no long rise. The acid in kefir sets off the baking soda, which starts releasing carbon dioxide at once and puffs the rounds as they cook.
A half-hour bread for the days between bakings
In Podkarpacie, bread was once baked only once a week, and in poorer homes once every two weeks. When the loaf ran out early, proziaki filled the gap, because they took about half an hour and needed no sourdough. The name comes from proza, the regional word for baking soda, and the first written mentions in the province date from the second half of the 19th century, when baking soda reached the area. Cooks made them on the iron plate of a wood-fired tiled stove, and today a heavy cast-iron pan does the same job. In 2006 proziaki were entered on Poland's list of traditional products.
Light hands and gentle heat
The dough should hardly be worked, because long kneading tightens the gluten and makes the breads tough and dense, so stop as soon as the dough is evenly mixed and still slightly sticky. Thickness matters too: rounds thinner than 1 cm dry out, and much thicker ones may stay raw inside. When the burner is too hot, the outside burns before the centre cooks, which is why medium heat and frequent turning work well. Plain milk will not work in place of kefir, because the soda needs an acid to react with.
Fresh butter and cold milk, or something more
The traditional way to eat proziaki is with fresh butter and a glass of cold milk, or beside a bowl of soup. Butter with white cheese and herbs is a classic savoury topping, and in Podkarpacie they also go with wild-garlic butter or goat curd. Children got honey or fruit preserves, and a sweet dough can take a little sugar or honey. Split open, they also make sandwiches with pâté and pickled cucumber. For a change, wild garlic, poppy seeds or a little turmeric can go straight into the dough.
Polish griddle soda breads
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour Extra flour for dusting the work surface.
- 350 ml plain milk kefir Unsweetened. Add the last 50 ml only if the dough is dry.
- 1 egg Medium egg.
- 1 tsp baking soda Food-grade; use a level teaspoon.
- ½ tsp salt Level the measuring spoon.
- ½ tsp sugar
You will need
- Large mixing bowl and sieve
- Rolling pin
- Round cutter or glass, about 8 cm across
- Wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan and spatula
- Clean kitchen cloth
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.
- Stir in the egg, sugar and 300 ml of the kefir to form a rough dough; add the remaining 50 ml only if the dough is dry.
- Knead briefly by hand, just enough to make the dough evenly mixed but still slightly sticky.
- Roll the dough to about 1 cm thick on a lightly floured work surface.
- Cut out rounds about 8 cm across with a cutter or glass, gathering and rerolling the scraps to make about 16 pieces in total.
- Rest the rounds for 15 minutes on the lightly floured surface, covered with a clean cloth.
- Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat, without oil.
- Cook the rounds in batches without overlapping for about 10–12 minutes per batch, turning every 1–2 minutes, until puffed and browned on both sides. Lower the heat if they brown too quickly.
- Check each batch by splitting one bread open: the centre should be cooked through, with no wet, raw dough. If the middle is still doughy, return the breads to the pan and cook over lower heat before serving.
Comments
No comments yet.
Comments could not be loaded.
Join the discussion
or