AI-generated image
Plăcinte cu crumpi
Potato-filled griddle flatbreads
Plăcinte cu crumpi: Maramureș griddle flatbreads stuffed with potato and onion
Crumpi is the Maramureș word for potatoes, and in wooden-church villages such as Ieud and Botiza these thin stuffed flatbreads come off the hot plate of the kitchen stove almost every week, stacked high and wrapped in a cloth to stay soft. A simple yeast dough is wrapped around mashed potato and slowly browned onion, rolled flat and cooked dry on a griddle until blistered and speckled. With no dairy or egg they suit the fasting (post) days, and outside the fasts they are often eaten with sour cream or a bowl of soup. The common mistake is rolling too hard, which pushes the filling through the dough; press gently from the centre outwards. Chef's tip: brush them with a little oil as they come off the griddle and stack them under a tea towel, which keeps them supple.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Dough
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
Filling
- 1 ½ lb floury potatoespeeled and quartered
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp dillchopped
- 1 tbsp sunflower oilfor brushing
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix the 14 oz plain flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 tsp salt, add the 1 cup lukewarm water and 2 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 6–8 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
38 minStep 2: Meanwhile boil the 1 ½ lb floury potatoes in salted water for 15–18 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain well and mash smoothly.
18 minStep 3: Fry the 2 onions in the 3 tbsp sunflower oil over a medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden.
12 minStep 4: Mix the onions into the mash with the 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 2 tbsp dill. Leave to cool slightly and divide into 8 portions.
3 minStep 5: Divide the dough into 8 balls. Flatten each into a 12 cm disc, put a portion of filling in the middle, gather the edges over it and pinch to seal.
10 minStep 6: Turn each one seam side down and gently roll or press it out into a round about 18 cm across and 5 mm thick.
8 minStep 7: Heat a dry griddle or heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the plăcinte one or two at a time for 3–4 minutes per side, until puffed and speckled with brown spots.
28 minStep 8: Brush each one with a little of the 1 tbsp sunflower oil as it comes off and stack under a clean tea towel. Serve warm.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does plăcinte cu crumpi take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SalufPuffy flatbread
Saluf is the everyday bread of Yemenite Israelis, slapped onto a hot pan or taboon in Rosh HaAyin and Sha'arayim in Rehovot and eaten with marak temani, hilbe and zhug. It is soft and blistered, thicker than pita and with no pocket, made to tear and dunk. Home cooks often roll it too thin, which gives a cracker; it should be about 1 cm thick so it stays pillowy. Chef's tip: cook it under a lid on a very hot dry pan for the first minute, which traps steam and puffs it the way a taboon does.
Israeli
ChipaCheese bread rings
In Paraguay you hear 'chipa, chipa!' called by vendors with big baskets on buses and street corners, and every family bakes it for Holy Week, when chipa is the food of Good Friday. Cassava starch, a little cornmeal, butter, eggs and a lot of hard cheese are kneaded into a dough scented with aniseed, shaped into rings or small rolls and baked in a hot oven, traditionally a domed clay tatakua. It's chewy, crisp outside and best warm with cocido (toasted yerba tea). Chef's tip: the dough should feel soft and slightly greasy; add milk a spoon at a time, as too much makes the chipa spread flat.
Paraguayan
Matzah
Matzah is the flat unleavened bread eaten at Passover, recalling the Israelites leaving Egypt in too much haste for their bread to rise, and in Israel and Jewish homes worldwide it is also eaten as a crisp everyday cracker with soups and dips. The dough is only flour and water; by tradition it is mixed, rolled and baked within 18 minutes so it cannot ferment. This home version follows that rhythm but is not certified for Passover use. There is no salt: about 0.0 g salt per sheet. The usual mistake is rolling too thick, which gives a tough, chewy bread; roll until you can almost see the counter through it. Chef's tip: prick the dough all over with a fork before baking so it stays flat and blisters evenly.