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Plăcintă dobrogeană
Plăcintă dobrogeană: Dobrogean baked coil pie of stretched pastry, salty cheese and egg
RomanianDown on the Black Sea coast and the steppe villages around Constanța and Tulcea, where Aromanian, Turkish and Tatar cooks have shared ovens for generations, plăcintă dobrogeană is a big round pie made from hand-stretched sheets rolled around salty cheese and egg, coiled into a tin and baked until crackling. Just before baking, a little egg and yogurt is poured over, so the inner layers turn soft and custardy under a shatteringly crisp top. It is cut into wedges and eaten warm for breakfast with ayran or a glass of milk. Telemea and other salty white cheeses are often made with animal rennet, so pick one labelled vegetarian. The usual slip is overfilling the rolls, which split as they coil. Chef's tip: keep the stretched dough under a damp tea towel while you work, so it stays supple.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 ⅞ oz buttermelted, for brushing
Filling
- 14 oz salty white cheese (telemea or feta-style)vegetarian, crumbled
- 7 oz cottage cheese
- 3 eggs
Topping
- 1 egg
- 5 ½ oz plain yogurt
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water, 3 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp white wine vinegar into a soft dough and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and silky. Divide into 4 balls, oil them lightly, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Mix the 14 oz salty white cheese (telemea or feta-style), 7 oz cottage cheese and 3 eggs with a fork into a moist, chunky filling.
3 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan) and butter a 28 cm round tin with some of the 0.6 oz butter.
3 minStep 4: On a floured cloth, roll one ball thin, then stretch it gently over the backs of your hands into a sheet about 50 × 40 cm, thin enough to see through. Brush with a little of the 0.6 oz butter.
6 minStep 5: Spoon a quarter of the filling in a line along one long edge and roll up loosely into a long rope. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
15 minStep 6: Coil the first rope in the centre of the tin like a snail and continue the spiral with the other ropes, pinching the ends together, until the tin is full.
4 minStep 7: Whisk the 1 egg with the 5 ½ oz plain yogurt and pour it evenly over the coil. Drizzle with the remaining 1 ⅔ oz butter.
2 minStep 8: Bake for 40–45 minutes, until deep golden, crisp on top and puffed; the custard between the coils should be set when you press a knife in.
45 minStep 9: Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does plăcintă dobrogeană take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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