Banitsa

The most common variation of Bulgarian traditional pie is Banitsa with cheese. Layers of buttered phyllo dough are layered with a mixture of eggs, yogurt, and cheeses such sirene and feta. Baking soda is an optional component in the production of banitsa. It helps the yogurt rise and makes the pie fluffier and more flavorful.

Banita with cheese was traditionally prepared and served on Christmas and New Year's Eve, but it is now available all year in grocery shops, street sellers, kiosks, and pretty much anywhere. Aside from this basic variant, there are other savory and sweet banitsa pies packed with a variety of vegetables and fruits.

Ingredients:

• A pack of filo pastry (I am using Familia again and it is 500g)
• 4 eggs - 150g-200g of butter
• Approximately 200ml of vegetable oil
• 300g of feta cheese (white cheese), crumbled
• Approximately 300g of yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

Instruction:
1. Making the Mixture

Crack three of the eggs and beat them. Then you will only need the egg white of the 4th egg. Carefully separate it from the egg yolk as shown (in the video) and put the yolk to one side and mix it with approximately 1 tablespoon of yoghurt. After that, add the baking soda to the bowl of yoghurt and mix it together. Then transfer this to the beaten eggs and mix again until it is homogenous. Next comes the flour, you only need 1 tablespoonful in the mix. We are going to spread that on each pasty sheet later on.

2. Cut Up the Butter
It is important to say here that you can use butter or oil or a mixture of both in your Banitsa. I normally go for both and cut the hard butter into small pieces, so it is easier for me to spread it evenly across the pastry. I use normal vegetable oil on the bottom of my baking tray before I start putting the Banitsa rolls in it, that way it is nice and crispy and not stuck in the end.

3. Fill the Pastry

Open the pack of filo pastry and start putting all of the ingredients on every sheet. I usually spread a bit of the egg mixture so the whole sheet is covered, then put a few butter pieces on top, to finish I top it up with a bit of crumbled feta cheese. After this is done, roll the pastry sheet with the ingredients inside and place it on the pre-oiled baking tray.

4. Prepare the Banitsa for Baking

Just before you are ready to put the Banitsa in the pre-heated to 180°c oven, put some butter pieces on top of it and make sure they are evenly distributed. This would make it look more golden-brown and delicious

5. Add Egg/yoghurt Mixture on Top
About halfway through the baking, take your Banitsa out of the oven and spread the egg yolk and yoghurt mix on top by using a brush. This improves the overall look as it gives great colour to the Banitsa and a shiny texture on top. After you do that, put the Banitsa back in the oven for another 15-20mins. The overall baking time is about 30-35mins, depending on the oven.

6. Take the Banitsa Out of the Oven

This is the final step, so just carefully remove the Banitsa from the oven and sprinkle a good amount of cold water and then cover the whole tray with a clean cloth. This would allow the steam to stay under the cloth and make the Banitsa soft.