Polish Żurek Soup
Unbelievably tasty, vibrant, appetizing, original, and beautiful! Żurek in bread is a traditional Polish soup with smoked meats and white sausages made with a rye starter. The starter gives the dish an amazing aroma and a velvety tang. A bright treat with a memorable flavor!
Updated : 02 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Starter
500 milliliters
Water
10 tablespoon
Rye flour
4
Garlic
2
Laurel leaf
7
Peppercorns
50 grams
Dark bread
Soup
500 grams
Sausage and sausage products
300 grams
Smoked sausage
200 grams
Pork breast
2
Onion
2
Garlic
1 tablespoon
Dried marjoram
2
Laurel leaf
200 grams
Sour cream
8
Chicken eggs
4 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
to taste
Greens
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to cook Polish żurek soup? First, make the rye starter. It needs to ferment for 3-5 days. Sometimes stores sell ready-made starter, but making it at home isn’t difficult. The starter is what makes the soup broth velvety and exceptionally tasty.
Step 2
Put pieces of rye bread into a clean jar.
Step 3
Add rye flour.
Step 4
Rinse and pat dry the garlic cloves. Crush the unpeeled cloves with the handle of a knife.
Step 5
Add the garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf to the jar.
Step 6
Pour in cooled boiled water.
Step 7
Mix everything thoroughly.
Step 8
Cover the jar with cheesecloth and leave it in a warm place for about 3-5 days. In the original recipe the starter fermented for 5 days; I only needed 3. The finished starter has a rich aroma and a pleasantly tangy taste.
Step 9
During fermentation, stir the mixture in the jar once a day with a clean spoon.
Step 10
Strain the finished starter through a fine sieve. Discard the leftover bread and spices - you won’t need them anymore.
Step 11
The starter for Polish soup is ready. You can start cooking żurek right away, or refrigerate the starter for storage.
Step 12
Prepare all the ingredients for the soup. You can cook it with broth or plain water. Boil the eggs.
Step 13
Pour water into a pot. In the original recipe, a 4-liter (about 4.2-qt) pot was suggested for this amount of ingredients; I like thicker soups, so I reduced the water by half. Adjust to your taste and add as much water as you prefer. Add the white sausages to the water. Set the pot over medium heat.
Step 14
Meanwhile, dice the peeled onions into medium cubes and sauté in a small amount of vegetable oil until translucent.
Step 15
Add the onions to the sausages. Add a bay leaf, roughly chopped garlic, and dried marjoram. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes (check the cooking time on the white sausage package).
Step 16
Prepare the remaining ingredients. Cut the smoked sausage and pork belly into small pieces. Fry until cooked through.
Step 17
Remove the cooked white sausages from the pot, let them cool, and peel off the casing.
Step 18
Stir the starter so it becomes smooth. Pour it into the pot and stir again.
Step 19
Add the fried smoked sausage and pork belly next. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
Step 20
Add fresh sour cream and stir again. Salt and pepper to taste. If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a tablespoon. Keep the soup on low heat for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let it stand for a while.
Step 21
All that’s left is to assemble the żurek. Cut the white sausages into pieces as you like and place them into a deep bowl.
Step 22
Ladle in some soup and add an egg, peeled and cut in halves or quarters.
Step 23
Sprinkle with fresh herbs. The amazing soup is ready - serve!
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