Banitsa (Bulgarian Cheese Phyllo Pastry)

About This Recipe

Banitsa is the breakfast and feast pastry of Bulgaria — a coil of buttered phyllo sheets layered with crumbled sirene (Bulgarian brined white cheese), beaten eggs, and tangy yogurt, then baked until the surface crackles in shards. The classic 'banitsa sas sirene' is everyday breakfast bakery fare across the country; the New Year's Eve version (banitsa s kasmeti) hides paper fortunes inside the coils and is broken open at midnight to read everyone's prophecy. The technique resembles Bosnian burek but the filling is uniquely Bulgarian — the sour yogurt-cheese combo gives banitsa a creaminess that fresh-cheese phyllo pies elsewhere don't have. Served warm with boza (a fermented millet drink) or ayran for breakfast, or cold from a paper bag eaten on the way to work.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 500 gphyllo pastry sheets (about 12 sheets), thawed
• 400 gsirene or feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 largeeggs
• 300 gthick Bulgarian or Greek yogurt
• 150 gunsalted butter, melted
• 100 mlsunflower oil
• 1 tspbaking soda
• 0.5 tspwhite pepper
• 100 mlsparkling water, for finishing splash

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare filling

   In a large bowl whisk eggs until smooth. Stir in yogurt, baking soda (it will foam slightly — that's expected), white pepper, and crumbled cheese. Mix to a thick, lumpy batter.

2. 2

   Combine fats

   Mix melted butter with sunflower oil in a small bowl — half-and-half gives the right balance of flavor and crispness.

3. 3

   Layer the first sheet

   Unroll phyllo on a damp tea towel (keeps it from drying out). Place 1 sheet flat. Brush lightly with butter-oil mix. Spread 3 tbsp of cheese filling along one long edge in a thin strip.

4. 4

   Roll into a rope

   Roll the sheet away from you into a loose, long tube. Don't squeeze tight — looser rolls puff better.

5. 5

   Coil into the pan

   Lightly oil a 26 cm round baking pan. Coil the first rope from the center outward. Repeat with all remaining sheets, joining ropes seamlessly until the pan is filled in one continuous spiral.

6. 6

   Brush top

   Brush the top of the entire coil generously with the remaining butter-oil. Don't leave any phyllo dry.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake at 200°C for 35–40 minutes until deeply golden and the top crackles when tapped. Halfway through, splash 100 ml sparkling water over the surface — this Bulgarian bakery trick creates extra blistering.

8. 8

   Rest

   Cool 10 minutes before cutting — straight from the oven the layers are too steamy to slice cleanly.

9. 9

   Serve

   Cut into wedges. Serve warm with cold ayran or boza, or pack into a paper bag for breakfast on the go.

Variations

• •

  Tikvenik — winter pumpkin version with grated pumpkin, walnuts, and cinnamon instead of cheese.

• •

  Banitsa s praz — leek and cheese version popular in Plovdiv.

• •

  New Year banitsa — fold paper fortunes (wrapped in foil) into the coils before baking.

Storage

Best the day baked. Refrigerate 3 days; reheat at 180°C for 7 minutes to re-crisp. Freezes well baked.

Frequently Asked Questions