Plăcinte prăjite, Romanian pan-fried flatbreads

Name: Plăcinte prăjite, Romanian pan-fried flatbreads
Ingredients: 500 g flour; 15 g salt; 30 g fresh yeast; 250 ml warm water; 5 ml oil; 150 ml oil for frying

Pasta/Pizza - Plăcinte prăjite, Romanian pan-fried flatbreads by Dumitra C. - Recipia

Plăcinte prăjite are Romanian pan-fried flatbreads cut out with a plate and pricked with a fork. They cook up thin, with golden spots. The yeast dough, made with flour, yeast and warm water, browns on both sides, with a golden-speckled surface and an elastic middle, and no filling. I roll them out until they’re about as thick as a coin. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 27 minutes. Resting: 30 minutes. Total time: 77 minutes. Servings: 4. Approximately 520 kcal and 13 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

500 g flour
15 g salt
30 g fresh yeast
250 ml warm water
5 ml oil
150 ml oil for frying

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in 125 ml warm water. Mix 250 g flour with the salt, add the dissolved yeast and stir. 2. Add the remaining 250 g flour, the oil for the dough and another 125 ml warm water. Knead for 10 minutes, until you have an elastic dough. 3. Put the dough in a flour-dusted bowl and leave it in a warm place for 30 minutes, until it has doubled in size. 4. Dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, roll them out and cut out circles using a plate. Prick each round with a fork. 5. Heat the frying oil in a pan for 3 minutes. Fry the flatbreads one at a time, for 3 minutes each, turning them halfway through, until browned on both sides. Take them out and place them on paper towels.

Notes

Keep them in a closed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The dough feels firmer when cold. I serve them with sour cream, with salty cheese on the side. In texture, they’re closer to fried flatbread than to a filled pie. The diameter of the circles affects how quickly they brown. Larger ones need a few extra moments on each side. The dough should roll out without tearing and shouldn’t stick firmly to your fingers. If it catches, dust the work surface with a little flour. Use lukewarm, not hot, water for the yeast, and in a cool room the dough may take more than half an hour to rise.