Romanian Sweet Cheese Pastries
Dough Easter Recipes Desserts Cheese Romanian
To complete the Easter menu, I chose to make branzoici like grandma used to. Branzoici is what we call them in our village. The correct term is branzoaice, but you will forgive this linguistic "mistake" because I have a bonus - a new shape for the dough: the pinwheel. It looks great and the technique can be used with different doughs and different fillings. Just look at the photos and see how cute they are!
Branzoici are made from a brioche-like dough and have an aromatic cheese filling.
Ingredients
400g all-purpose flour
80g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet dry yeast (8g)
1 packet vanilla sugar (bourbon, I used Dr Oetker)
2 eggs (at room temperature)
60g melted butter
80ml milk (warm)
60ml water (warm)
Filling
300g fresh cow cheese (sweet cheese)
4-5 tablespoons sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 large egg
30g raisins (soaked in warm water then in a little rum)
a little grated lemon zest
For brushing
1 egg yolk
1 heaping teaspoon yogurt
1 tablespoon water
Yield: 20
How to prepare romanian sweet cheese pastries
- Mix the flour with sugar and salt.
- Beat the eggs and mix with the milk, water, and melted butter.
- In the bread machine, put the egg mixture, then sprinkle the dry yeast and vanilla sugar on top. Place the flour mixture on top. Set the machine to the kneading and rising program.
* the dough can also be kneaded by hand, then left to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. - For the filling, cream the cheese with sugar and grated lemon zest. Add the beaten egg and mix until smooth. Add the drained raisins.
- Put the risen dough on a floured surface and knead lightly. Then roll out to a sheet of about 25 cm x 45 cm. Cut off the uneven edges to get a rectangle.
- Cut the sheet into 7 cm squares (cut 3 across the width and 6 along the length; you will get 18 squares)
* the cut edges can also be rolled out into a thin sheet and 2 more squares cut from it. - Stretch each square a little with your hand. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle. Join the opposite corners of the square (press well so they do not open during baking; see photos 3 and 4).
* each square can also be shaped into a pinwheel (see photos 6-10); after forming the pinwheels, widen the center a bit, add the filling there (about 1/2 teaspoon) and let them rise; brush them and bake for 15 minutes at 180C - Place the formed pastries in a pan, spaced apart. Put the pan in a bag and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolk with yogurt and water. This mixture will be used to brush the pastries.
- Brush the pastries with the egg yolk and yogurt mixture.
- Bake in the oven at 180C (350F) for 15-20 minutes, until golden on top.
- Let them cool.
The dough cut into squares
Place filling on each square
Join the opposite corners
Join the opposite corners
Brushed pastries in the pan
Square with cut corners
The tip folded to the center of the adjacent triangle
The next tip folded to the center of the adjacent triangle
The next tip folded to the center of the adjacent triangle
The next tip folded to the center of the adjacent triangle
Pinwheel pastries in the pan with cheese filling
