Soft Romanian cheese spirals

Name: Soft Romanian cheese spirals
Ingredients: 200 ml warm milk; 1 teaspoon sugar; 42 g fresh yeast; 1000 g flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 200 ml sparkling mineral water; 200 ml oil; 30 g yogurt; 1 egg; 600 g telemea; 1 egg yolk; 10 g black cumin seeds

Pasta/Pizza - Soft Romanian cheese spirals by Didina M. - Recipia

Soft Romanian cheese spirals depend on a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. Telemea, a Romanian brined cheese, is rolled into a spiral inside dough made with milk, sparkling mineral water and yogurt, and the spirals come out golden on top and soft in the middle. I like to pull them apart by hand while they’re still a little warm. Preparation: 30 minutes. Cooking: 20 minutes. Resting: 80 minutes. Total time: 130 minutes. Servings: 8. Approximately 900 kcal and 27 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

200 ml warm milk
1 teaspoon sugar
42 g fresh yeast
1000 g flour
1 teaspoon salt
200 ml sparkling mineral water
200 ml oil
30 g yogurt
1 egg
600 g telemea
1 egg yolk
10 g black cumin seeds

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour, stir and leave the yeast mixture for 10 minutes, until it starts to bubble. 2. Add the salt, sparkling mineral water, oil, yogurt and egg. Gradually work in the flour and knead until you have a soft, elastic dough that doesn’t stick. 3. Put the dough in a bowl, cover it with a tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for an hour, until it has doubled in size. 4. Knead it briefly with a little of the measured flour, then divide it into 8 egg-sized balls. The largest tray in an electric oven fits 8 large pieces. 5. Roll each ball into an oval. Put the crumbled telemea along one edge, roll it up and seal the dough well. Twist the roll into a spiral and flatten it slightly with your palm. 6. Arrange the spirals on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them. Brush them with egg yolk and sprinkle with the seeds. Leave them to rise for 10 minutes. 7. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, until golden. Take out the tray and cover the spirals with a tea towel while they’re warm.

Notes

Flour absorbs liquid differently, so keep the dough soft and add the flour gradually without making it firm. Less salty telemea is easier to measure; if yours is very salty, replace 200 g with unsalted fresh cheese. The filling can come out at the seam if the edge isn’t sealed well before twisting. If you need them ready for a particular time, allow about two hours and ten minutes from the start; for more than eight pieces, bake them in batches. They keep for a few days in a sealed bag or lidded container, and in the fridge they’ll keep for no more than three days. You can serve them with plain yogurt and unsweetened tea. Black cumin can be replaced with cumin, black onion seeds, black sesame or nigella; the spirals contain gluten, dairy and egg.