Bulgarian Banitsa Recipe
Bulgarian Banitsa is a traditional pie from Bulgaria. A pie made of thin homemade filo dough with a filling of cheese, yogurt and herbs. The filling can be different depending on the season, it is cabbage, spinach or pumpkin. Traditionally, banitsa is made as a large pie, but you can also make small versions, like buns. The pie turns out to be hearty, slightly salty and very tender.
Recipe type: Pies
Recipe type: Bulgarian
Yield: 8
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients:
Homemade filo dough — 8-12 sheets
Dill — 30 grams
Greek or Bulgarian yogurt – 200 ml
Sirena cheese (cheese or Feta) – 220 grams
Chicken eggs — 1 piece
Melted butter — 60-80 grams
Baking powder — ½ teaspoon
Directions:
1. Wash the dill and finely chop it.
2. Mash Sirena cheese (cheese or Feta) in a deep cup with a fork.
3. Mix cheese, yogurt and dill in a deep bowl.
4. Add baking powder and chicken egg to the cheese mixture.
5. Heat the melted butter.
6. Prepare the baking dish. Wrap the inside with baking parchment paper. Lubricate the paper with melted butter.
7. Take homemade sheets of filo dough. Grease a sheet of dough with melted butter. Put a little filling from the cheese mixture on the sheet, spreading it over the entire surface of the dough. Roll the dough sheet several times horizontally so that the filling is inside. The width of the resulting “sausage” is 1.2 -2 inches (3-5 cm).
8. Twist the “sausage” into a roll vertically. Place the resulting roll in the center of the baking dish. Lubricate with melted butter on all sides.
9. Do the same with each sheet of dough. Wrap a new roll around the existing ones. As a result, you should get a big “snail”.
10. Pour the “snail” almost to the top with stuffing. If there is no filling left, then just pour yogurt.
11. Heat the oven at 390°F (200°C). We send the banitsa to the oven for 20-30 minutes.
12. Reduce the oven temperature to 360°F (180°C). Cook for 20 minutes.
13. Reduce the oven temperature to 210° F (100°C). Cook for 20 minutes.
Serving: Serve the pie hot. Combined with wine.
Bon Appetit!
