Branzoici, Romanian filled pastries

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 kg flour
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 250 g margarine
• 100 ml oil
• 500-600 ml lukewarm milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg for brushing

For the cabbage filling

• 1 kg cabbage
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

For the urda filling

• 1 kg urda
• 3 eggs
• 15 g chopped dill
• 5 g grated lemon zest
• 2 sachets vanilla sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons semolina

For the cheese filling

• 500 g brined cheese or telemea

Preparation

1. For the cabbage filling, finely chop the cabbage and cook it with 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, until softened and the liquid has reduced, then stir in the pepper and let it cool for 30 minutes. 2. Mix the urda with 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla sugar, the zest of 1 lemon and the dill. If the urda is watery, stir in 2 tablespoons of semolina. Grate the brined cheese into a bowl. 3. To make the yeast mixture, mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 100 ml of lukewarm milk. Leave it in a warm place for 15 minutes, until risen. 4. Sift the flour into a large bowl and mix it with the salt. Make a well in the middle and add 4 eggs, 400 ml of lukewarm milk, the remaining sugar, the melted and cooled margarine, the oil and the yeast mixture. Mix in the center first, then gradually work in the flour from the sides. 5. When the dough is too stiff to mix easily with a spoon, knead it by hand. If it feels firm, gradually add some of the remaining lukewarm milk, up to 100 ml; if it sticks, work in a little flour. The dough should be soft and not stick to your hands. 6. Cover the dough and leave it in a warm place for 2 hours, until it has increased in size. Roll out a piece at a time, cut it into squares and put cabbage, urda or cheese filling in the middle. Bring opposite corners over one another. 7. Arrange the little parcels on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and leave them to rise for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C. 8. Beat the egg for brushing and brush the parcels. Bake them for 25 minutes, until golden.