Balkan · Lunch & handhelds

Ćevapi flatbread

Name: Ćevapi flatbread
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 15 h 20 min
Yield: 6 flatbread servings
Cuisine: Balkan
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds 80%-lean ground beef chuck; 1/2 pound ground lamb; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1/3 cup water; 1/3 cup cold sparkling water; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 4 cups bread flour; 2 teaspoons instant yeast; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 1/2 cups warm water; 2 tablespoons plain yogurt; 2 tablespoons neutral oil; 1 large white onion, finely diced; 3/4 cup prepared ajvar; 3/4 cup kajmak or clotted cream

Charcoal-seared beef-and-lamb ćevapi rested overnight for spring and juiciness, served in soft scratch lepinja with raw onion, ajvar, and cool kajmak.

About 15 hr 20 minTotal

About 1 hr 20 minActive

$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 6 flatbread servings

Equipment

Any sound outdoor grill works; a hot cast-iron skillet is the indoor fallback.
Best everyday gas grill
Weber Spirit E-310 Gas Grill · 1500788
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Any sound outdoor grill works; a hot cast-iron skillet is the indoor fallback.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the Recipe's direct-heat grilling method, three-burner control, primary cooking area, cast-iron grates, current Weber part 1500788, warranty, ownership burden, and exact Amazon identity. Kwilt has not cooked on this grill.
Weber Spirit E-310 Gas Grill · 1500788: Three independently ignited burners and 360 square inches of primary grate space provide enough controllable direct heat for a family batch of burgers without requiring a larger premium grill. Trade-off: It is a major purchase, requires outdoor space and a separately purchased propane tank, and gas does not provide the same smoke character as charcoal.
Another workable path: Use any safe outdoor grill with enough clean grate area for uncrowded burgers, or cook them in batches on a preheated cast-iron skillet indoors.
Sources
Weber Spirit E-310 specifications
Weber model 1500788 parts registry
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 flatbread servings

1 1/2 pounds 80%-lean ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground lamb
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup cold sparkling water
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 large white onion, finely diced
3/4 cup prepared ajvar
3/4 cup kajmak or clotted cream

Instructions

Simmer crushed garlic in 1/3 cup water for 3 minutes, cool, and strain; measure 1/4 cup garlic water. Knead beef, lamb, garlic water, sparkling water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, baking soda, and pepper until tacky, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, remaining salt, warm water, yogurt, and oil into a soft dough. Knead smooth, rise until doubled, divide into six balls, and rest 15 minutes. Flatten into 7-inch rounds, dimple, and bake at 500°F on a preheated stone until puffed and lightly spotted, 6 to 8 minutes; cover with a towel.
With wet hands, shape meat into thirty short finger-size cylinders. Grill over or a grill pan in uncrowded batches, turning often, until well browned and the centers reach 160°F, 6 to 8 minutes.
Split warm lepinja, briefly toast the cut faces over the meat juices, and add five ćevapi to each. Serve with raw onion, ajvar, and kajmak in distinct portions so the meat remains central.

Western BalkansBosnian-leaning Balkan grill and bakery cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Ćevapi vary across the Balkans; Bosnian forms commonly use beef or beef and lamb without pork and serve small grilled meat fingers in somun or lepinja with raw onion.

Ćevapi vary across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and neighboring regions. Bosnian forms commonly use beef or beef and lamb without pork and pair them with somun or lepinja and raw onion; ajvar and kajmak are widespread but not universal. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use a Bosnian-leaning beef-and-lamb profile within the broader Balkan roster label, authoring lepinja and keeping optional regional condiments visibly separate.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe