Bulgaria

The dish

Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian pastry made from thin, flaky sheets of dough layered with a cheese and egg filling. It’s baked until puffed and golden, with a crisp outside and a soft, tangy, cheesy inside.

What we thought

I’ve actually had this dish from bakeries before. Surprisingly easy to make and quick to assemble, banitsa is great for mornings when you don’t have a lot of time. We gave it a 4.1, where, once again, the adults rated it much higher than the kids.

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients

• 8 ounces phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the fridge (half a standard box)
• 7 ounces sirene cheese or full-fat feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tblsp sparkling water
• 1/2 tsp (omit if using Sirene cheese instead of Feta)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a round pie dish with a little of the melted butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, salt and water. Fold in the cheese.
3. Fill the first phyllo log by laying out one sheet of the phyllo dough and brushing it with melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo, brushing that sheet with butter as well. Spoon a few tablespoons of the cheese filling in a line along the lengthwise bottom edge of the phyllo.
4. Roll the filled phyllo into a long log, then coil it around the outer edge of the pie dish, curving to follow the rim.
5. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, working two sheets and a spoonful of filling at a time. Remember to spread butter over each sheet. Coil each new log tightly against the last, spiraling inward until the pie dish is filled from edge to center.
6. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top of the dish. Bake until the top is golden-brown and crisp (around 35-40 minutes).
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.