Prebranac — Baked Beans with Caramelised Onion

Preparation

1. Overnight Soaking

Sort through the beans carefully, removing any stones or damaged beans. Rinse in several changes of water. Cover with plenty of cold water (about three times the volume of beans) and leave to soak for at least 8–12 hours, ideally overnight. Soaking shortens cooking time, makes the beans softer and, importantly, reduces bloating by leaching out some indigestible complex carbohydrates.

2. Cooking the Beans

The next day, drain the soaked beans and cover with fresh cold water (this is important — discard the soaking liquid). Bring to a boil, then drain and cover with fresh cold water again. This double-blanching method further reduces gas and improves flavour. Cook over medium heat for 45–60 minutes until the beans are tender but still holding their shape — they must not fall apart, as they will be baked further in the oven. Add salt only near the end of cooking (salting earlier makes the skins tough).

Drain the beans but reserve 200–300 ml of the cooking water — it is full of flavour and will be needed for baking.

3. Sautéing the Onion

Slice the onion into rounds (not small dice — rounds are traditional for prebranac). In a deep frying pan, heat 80 ml of sunflower oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The goal is for the onion to soften, turn translucent and then develop a golden-brown colour without burning. This step is crucial — properly sautéed onion gives prebranac its characteristic sweetness and rich flavour.

Near the end, remove the pan from the heat, add the paprika and stir immediately (paprika burns quickly). Season with salt and pepper; add the sliced chilli if using.

4. Layering in the Baking Dish

Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a heatproof baking dish (ceramic or a traditional earthenware djuvečara) layer as follows: a layer of sautéed onion, then cooked beans, then onion again, then beans — finishing with onion on top. Tuck the bay leaves between the layers. Drizzle with the remaining oil (about 20 ml) and add enough of the reserved bean cooking water to cover the beans by 1–2 cm.

5. Baking

Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C for 40–50 minutes, until a golden-brown crispy crust forms on top from the caramelised onion. The liquid should partially evaporate while the beans remain moist inside. If they dry out too early, add a little more water.

6. Serving

Prebranac is even better the next day — the flavours meld further. Serve warm with a slice of homemade bread, pickled gherkins or mixed pickles.

Tips

Why it is called “prebranac”: the name comes from the verb “prebrati” — meaning to sort, i.e. to separate good beans from bad ones, stones and debris. Traditionally the cook would patiently sort the beans one by one, as a single bad pod could ruin the whole dish. Hence: “prebrani pasulj” → “prebranac”.

The crispy golden crust on top: the secret to a great crust is the quantity of onion — the more onion on top, the better the crust. You can also dust extra paprika over the onion before baking. For an extra-crispy crust, switch on the top grill element for the last 5 minutes — but watch closely to prevent burning.

Strict fasting (no oil): for strict Great Lent days, prebranac can be made without oil — sweat the onion in a little water, and thicken the bean cooking water with a spoonful of mashed beans. The fast type then becomes water.

Quicker method: if you have no time to soak overnight, use the quick soak method — cover the rinsed beans with boiling water, bring to a boil for 2–3 minutes, remove from the heat and leave covered for 1 hour. Then drain and continue with the recipe.