Simple Bulgarian Banitsa Recipes

BANITSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius).
• Meanwhile, take a round oven-proof dish and grease it with oil or butter and set aside.
• Put drained feta in a mixing bowl and crumble it with a fork (or your fingers). Add yogurt, eggs and baking soda and mix everything well. Set aside.
• Spread one sheet of phyllo (filo) pastry on a clean work top, the wider side facing you. Brush some melted butter over the sheet.
• Spoon some of the Feta mixture over and spread around a little. Lift the edge closest to you and roll/fold into a "sausage".
• Now, roll this into a snail (like you would when making cinnamon rolls). Place the "snail" in the middle of your oven dish/cake pan.
• Repeat step 4 with another phyllo sheet. When ready, place it in the cake pan, just around the first "snail" and repeat with the rest of the sheets until you fill up you cake pan.
• When done, pour the leftover melted butter over banitsa. Transfer the pan in the oven and bake at 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius) for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown on top.
• When ready, take it out and let it cool slightly before slicing.
• Enjoy!

BANITSA WITH WHITE CHEESE (BULGARIAN BANITSA WITH PHYLLO PASTRY)

Steps:

• 1. Cheese filling preparation: Beat the eggs and the pinch of baking soda, than add crumbed (or crushed) white cheese and then the yoghurt.
• 2. Spiral Banitsa (Vita Banitsa)/ Traditional preparation.
• 3. Use a round pan +-40cm diameter (the bigger the better).
• 4. Take 12 pastry sheets (phyllo pastry).Grease bottom of a pan with butter.
• 5. Spread a sheet, put a 2-3 small cubes of butter (or margarine), and spread the filling. Roll the sheet and place it in the middle of the pan (as a beginning of the spiral).
• 6. Do all the sheets the same way and join it with the end of the first sheet, making your spiral bigger and bigger.
• 7. When you out the last sheet and finish the spiral and fill the pan pore a tea cup of milk over the spiral.
• 8. Bake in moderate oven (180 ºC) for 45-50 minute
• 9. When it is ready take it out of the oven and brush with water the surface and cover with a cloth until it cools down.
• 10. Serve with an extra small bowl of plain yoghurt.
• Or (lazy way of preparation).
• 1. Take 12 pastry sheets (phyllo).Grease bottom of a pan with butter, no need of a round pan.
• 2. Place the first 3 sheets, spread the top sheet with butter, and spread first 1/3rd of the filling.
• 3. Place 2 more sheets and brush with butter spread 2nd third of the filling.
• 4. Top with 2 more sheets and brush with butter and spread last third of the filling.
• 5. The top last layer of filling cover with last sheets.
• 6. Cut in 9 or 12 squares and pore 1 cup of milk.
• 7. Bake in moderate oven (180 ºC) for 45-50 minute
• 8. When it is ready take it out of the oven and brush with water the surface and cover with a cloth until it cools down.
• 9. Serve with an extra small bowl of plain yoghurt.