Do you know any Bulgarian recipes? Banitsa is a fairly common pastry in Bulgaria, for the preparation of which only simple and affordable products are used. How exactly to cook it, we will tell in the presented article.
General information
Before telling you how to cook Bulgarian banitsa pie, it is worth telling what Bulgarian folk cuisine is all about.
Bulgarian cuisine is the national pride of the country. It is widespread not only in the said state, but also in other territories of Southeast Europe. It should be especially noted that it is very similar to Greek, Romanian and Turkish cuisines. This fact is explained by the fact that both Bulgaria and these states are located in the neighborhood.
It cannot be said that Italy, Armenia, Hungary and the Mediterranean had a great influence on this layer of culture.
Traditional dishes
What dishes does Bulgarian cuisine include ? Banitsa is a typical pastry for this country. After all, the basis of many Bulgarian dishes are cheeses (such as cheese), as well as cottage cheese.
It should be noted that these ingredients are not only added to baked goods, but also used to prepare many casseroles and salads.
Every Russian mistress should have Bulgarian recipes available. Banitsa, tikveni, steam, tutank, myranica, tekitsa, buttercup, katma and more - all these dishes will allow you not only to decorate the festive table, but also to sufficiently nourish all invited guests.
By the way, despite the complex names, such products are prepared easily and simply, without requiring the purchase of outlandish ingredients.
Tasty Bulgarian banitsa: recipe with photo of baking
Bulgarian banitsa is a very simple but incredibly tasty snack. And, of course, there are a great many recipes for its preparation. We decided to introduce only a few proven methods that will surely bring something new to your diet.
What ingredients are usually included in Bulgarian recipes? Banitsa turns out very tasty if you use the following set of products:
- finished phyllo dough - about 400 g;
- feta cheese (preferably home-made) - approximately 300 g;
- natural drinking yogurt - about 200 ml;
- raw chicken eggs - 4 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - a dessert spoon;
- quicklime soda - a pinch.
Test preparation
A classic Bulgarian banitsa cake is prepared using the phyllo test. For those who do not know, we will talk in detail about this basis.
The phyllo dough is a fresh drawn dough. It is very thin (approximately 1 millimeter). As a rule, it is used for cooking Greek dishes, namely, beetroot, baklava, tiropita and others. By the way, in Turkish cuisine this basis is called yufka.
A properly cooked Bulgarian banitsa with cheese should turn out to be very tender and melting in your mouth. That is why for its formation use the mentioned basis.
Phillo dough is made from water and flour with the addition of a small amount of olive oil or wine vinegar. Sift the flour well, and then add to the liquid and knead until the base becomes elastic. After that, the dough is rolled to a minimum thickness and used for its intended purpose.
If your recipe for a Bulgarian dish of banitsa involves the use of this particular basis, then you should strictly adhere to the rules. If you do not want to knead this dough yourself, you can buy it at any store. However, it should be noted that immediately before forming the product, it is recommended to completely unfreeze the base.
Cooking toppings
How is the Bulgarian banitsa prepared? The recipe from the photo shows that the preparation of snacks may involve the use of different products. As a filling, we decided to use home-made feta cheese. But, before using this product, it should be carefully processed.
Raw chicken eggs are laid in a small bowl, and then lightly beat with a fork until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Then, a pinch of table soda is thrown into drinking natural yogurt and mixed well. As for the feta cheese, it is placed in a deep plate and knead a little with a fork. In conclusion, all the ingredients are combined and mixed thoroughly.
Formation process
How is a banitsa (Bulgarian dish) formed? After the dough is thawed, and the filling is processed, proceed to the manufacture of the semi-finished product. To do this, take a heat-resistant form and lightly coat it with vegetable oil. Then a rolled sheet of dough is placed on the sheet, on which a little filling is placed. After leveling the feta cheese with a spoon, it is again covered with a base, spread the filling, etc.
The described actions should be carried out until all products are in heat-resistant form. Moreover, the final layer must necessarily be the basis. From above it is again greased with vegetable or butter. This is necessary so that the Bulgarian cake turns rosy and acquires a golden crust.
Heat treatment
How to implement Bulgarian recipes? Banitsa is well prepared both in the slow cooker and in the oven. In this section of the article for baking a European dish, we decided to apply the second option.
The oven is preheated to 180 degrees, and then a filled baking dish is sent to it. In this form , the cheese pie from the dough should be cooked for 40 minutes.
As soon as the crust of the product is browned, it is carefully removed, placed on a flat plate, and then sprayed with a small amount of water and covered with a clean and dry towel. In this form, the banica should stand for about 20 minutes.
Present a delicious European dish to the table
Now you know the recipe for a popular South European dish (see above, how to cook). Bulgarian banitsa is served to the table in an already cooled state. It is cut into portions and distributed into saucers. This appetizer is served with sour cream and fresh herbs.
Tender cottage cheese Bulgarian pastries: recipes
Banitsa can be either fresh or salty (for example, with feta cheese), and sweet. To prepare the last version of the dish, often use rustic cottage cheese with sugar. But first things first.
What ingredients are needed to cook Bulgarian banitsa with cottage cheese at home? For such a tasty and delicate product, we need the following components:
- puff pastry without yeast - 2 standard packages;
- rustic high-fat cottage cheese - about 200 g;
- fine white sugar - approximately 100 g;
- vegetable oil without a characteristic aroma (i.e. refined) - 3 dessert spoons;
- large rustic egg - 1 pc.
We prepare the basis
Bulgarian banitsa with cottage cheese is very tasty and tender. Puff pastry gives such properties to the pie. As you know, in the baking process, the aforementioned base increases several times in size, and also becomes soft and lush.
Of course, to cook puff pastry at home is quite realistic. But in order for it to really turn out as it should be, the cook needs special skills and a lot of free time. Therefore, in the absence of these features, we recommend that you do not suffer and purchase dough in the nearest store. Fortunately, today it is not as difficult to find it as several decades ago.
After the puff pastry is purchased, it is divided into separate sheets and completely thawed. Before using the base to form the cake, it should be rolled out correctly. How this is done is always indicated on the product packaging. If there is no instruction, then we recommend just rolling the dough into a rectangular layer along one of the sides.
Making the filling
After choosing and processing puff pastry, you can safely proceed to the preparation of the filling. To do this, take the usual village cottage cheese of high fat content, and then knead it with a fork. After this, a slightly beaten egg and white sugar are added to it. For flavor and taste to the ingredients, you can additionally lay out a couple of pinches of vanillin.
After mixing all the ingredients, you should get a sweet and viscous curd mass.
How to form?
Bulgarian banitsa from puff pastry is formed very easily. To begin with, rolled rectangular layers are greased with a small amount of refined oil, and then a little sweet curd mass is put. In this case, the filling is evenly distributed throughout the sheet, not reaching the edges of 2 centimeters. After this, the dough with curd is rolled into a roll, it, in turn, is twisted in a spiral and placed in a heat-resistant form.
Having formed all the products in the same way, they are also laid out in the dishes. In this case, you should get a pie in the form of a kind of snail shell.
How to bake?
After the cake made of puff pastry in the form of a snail is formed, it is immediately sent to the oven. The product with curd filling is baked for 38 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees.
The readiness of the Bulgarian pie can be determined by its color. If the banitsa is covered with a golden brown and noticeably increased in size, it can be safely removed from the oven.
We present the curd dish to the table
After baking the Bulgarian banitsa with cottage cheese, it is removed from the oven and left directly in the mold until it cools completely. Then the product is cut into identical pieces and presented to the table with strong tea.
By the way, if you remove the cake from the mold immediately after heat treatment, it can fall apart. In addition, this product is easily burned. After all, in the hot form, the filling of the banica freely goes beyond the limits of the test.