Yufka pastry cheese rolls
The lazy cook’s pie! Isn’t that a very common way to describe a pie made with store-bought pastry sheets? I have to say I find this description a bit unfair! Making a pie and then feeling guilty about it isn’t exactly fair, right? After all, we can’t all be grand masters of pies! And even if we are, what if we don’t have the time? Turning the dough into thin sheets is a serious and very time-consuming process.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love pies made with homemade pastry dough. I’m a huge fan and I can hardly resist them, which is also the main reason why pies do not appear often in our home. I do love them though, and I want to be able to make one even when I don’t have plenty of time. That’s when store bought pastry sheets come to the rescue!
I have a rather sentimental relationship with the whole process of making a homemade pie, I even like eating pieces of raw dough. I remember my grandma preparing her pastry sheets and baking them in an old cast iron stove for our Sunday pie. I was always tangled between her feet, waiting impatiently for her to finish the preparation of the pie and then make me my cheese roll. She’d fill it up with kaymak cheese, a creamy and quite salty type of cheese, and roll it up like a crêpe. I can still remember and feel its taste in my mouth, even after all these years. The definition of comfort food, in my book!
By preparing these pastry sheets, she was able to make a pie in almost no time at all and keep some extra sheets for the next time as well. Nowadays, it’s super easy to find all kinds of store bought pastry sheets; from puff pastry to shortcrust pastry and so on. They truly make things so much easier! I like to use –whenever I find them- yufka pastry sheets, those handmade Turkish pastry sheets that remind me of the ones my grandma used to make. And there are so many ways of using them.
In Serbia, this type of pastry is used a lot, especially in the making of a classic Serbian pie, known as “gibanica”. Such a treat! Gibanica is almost considered a national dish and is commonly served as a starter in restaurants. Either warm or cold.
Today, I’m making my own version of the lazy cook’s pie. Gibanica rolls with store-bought yufka pastry. Of course, puff pastry works equally well. To all the mommies out there, get ready; kids adore it. Made with just a few ingredients that you can easily find and select yourselves, and therefore be certain of their quality. Quick and easy!
After preparing the filling, spread it onto no more than three pastry sheets. Roll them up and then wrap them in tinfoil. Freeze them for about an hour so that they can easily be cut in rolls and then bake them right away. They’ll be so inviting and delicious! Just a lovely last minute solution whenever you need to quickly come up with an idea for your kids’ dinner. They’re just as good for breakfast and a perfect school snack!
Ingredients
400g (approximately) grated goat cheese or mixed cheeses
3 yufka pastry sheets or 1 puff pastry sheet (if you choose to use puff pastry)
7 eggs plus 1 to apply before baking
100ml olive oil plus 30ml to apply before baking
50ml milk
150g strained yogurt plus 50g to apply before baking
1 tinfoil sheet
1 baking paper sheet
Method
1. Spread some olive oil on the bottom of a round and not too deep baking tray.
2. Use a bowl to beat the eggs. Add the milk, 150g of yogurt, 100ml olive oil and a bit of salt if you think your cheese isn’t salty enough. Add grated cheese and mix all the ingredients very well.
3. Spread the first sheet and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil. Spread half of the cheese mixture but make sure you leave around 5cm space from the edges of the sheet. Cover with a second sheet and repeat the same steps; spread the cheese and egg mixture. Cover with the last sheet.
4. Start rolling up the sheets while pressing the sides with your fingers so that the filling doesn’t start falling out. When it’s shaped into a nice roll, transfer it onto the tinfoil sheet and wrap it carefully. Tinfoil will help your roll maintain its shape. With your hands wedge the edges of the tinfoil and press the mixture inwards creating a tighter roll. If you choose to work with puff pastry sheets, it will be even easier. You’ll only need to use one sheet, spread the cheese mixture on it and roll it up. It will be very easy to roll it up as puff pastry is more malleable and easily shaped.
5. As soon as your roll is ready, you can cover it with baking paper (although that’s not necessary) and freeze it for about an hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 185-190C.
6. When your roll is tight enough, take it out of the freezer and cut it into even round slices. Place them in the baking tray creating a pie made of rolls. Use a bowl to stir 50g yogurt and 1 egg very well. Spread the mixture on your rolls using a brush. This will give them extra colour and will keep them juicy. They might not look very impressive in the beginning but once they’re cooked, they’ll become one and look very inviting. Bake your pie for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until it gets a beautiful golden colour. Serve it in room temperature or cold.
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