Romanian baked sweet cheese pastries

Name: Romanian baked sweet cheese pastries
Ingredients: 1 kg flour; 250 ml lukewarm milk; 25 g fresh yeast; 4 tablespoons sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 4 egg yolks; 6 tablespoons oil; 500 g farmer cheese; 4 egg whites; 100 g sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tablespoons semolina; 1 egg; 30 g powdered sugar

Dessert - Romanian baked sweet cheese pastries by Melina P. - Recipia

For Romanian baked sweet cheese pastries, let the dough rise after kneading until visibly puffed. The risen dough encloses a filling of farmer cheese, egg whites and semolina; in the oven, the pastries develop a golden crust and stay soft inside. I like eating them warm, one after another. Preparation: 35 minutes. Cooking: 20 minutes. Rest: 40 minutes. Total time: 95 minutes. Servings: 10. Approximately 610 kcal and 20 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the dough

1 kg flour
250 ml lukewarm milk
25 g fresh yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
6 tablespoons oil

For the filling

500 g farmer cheese
4 egg whites
100 g sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons semolina

For brushing and serving

1 egg
30 g powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Put the lukewarm milk in a bowl with the yeast, sugar and one tablespoon of flour. Stir and leave for 10 minutes, until foam forms on the surface. 2. Put the remaining flour and salt in a bowl. Add the egg yolks beaten with 4 tablespoons of oil and the milk mixture with yeast, then knead until you have a firm, soft dough. 3. Knead the dough with another tablespoon of oil, cover it and leave it to rise for 30 minutes, until puffed. 4. Mix the farmer cheese with the egg whites, sugar, cinnamon and semolina. The filling should be thick, not runny. 5. Divide the dough into egg-sized pieces. Grease the work surface with a tablespoon of oil, roll out each piece, add a tablespoon of filling and fold the pastries over. 6. Arrange them on a baking tray, brush with beaten egg and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, until golden. 7. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Notes

Drier farmer cheese keeps the filling firm; if it seems wet, leave it to drain in a sieve before mixing. For a lactose-free version, you can use the same amount of lactose-free farmer cheese; the dough contains gluten, and the pastries contain dairy and eggs. I have plain black tea with them. Don’t rush the rise after kneading, the dough should puff up visibly; larger pieces may need a few extra minutes in the oven. The soft, risen dough is more like sweet bread than thin pastry sheets. Keep them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat only as many as you’re serving.