CHEESE PITA in One Hour - Serbian GIBANICA Easy & Perfect Every Time

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Mirjana

CHEESE PITA in One Hour - Serbian GIBANICA Easy & Perfect Every Time

This recipe for a traditional European cheese pita is quick, easy to make, and perfect every time.

Gibanica (ɡibanit͡sa) is one of the most popular and versatile dishes in the Balkans. It can be enjoyed at any time of day, warm or at room temperature. It is a great appetizer but served with a cup of buttermilk; it makes a satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The Serbian gibanica is prepared wrinkled style ('gužvara') because the sheets of phyllo dough are scrunched up, dipped in the batter, and assembled in a baking dish. It is baked until golden brown, puffed up, and delicious.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Servings: 8 slices

Course: Main Course, Traditional

Cuisine: Central European

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 lb Box of Filo dough
6 eggs
1 lb feta cheese or farmer's cheese salted to taste
1 cup kefir or plain yogurt
1/2 cup carbonated mineral water
3/4 stick melted butter

Method

Remove the feta cheese from the brine, rinse, and crumble it into pieces with a fork. Prepare all of the ingredients.
Whisk the eggs with the cheese and kefir. Add mineral water. Your filling is done!
Brush the bottom of the baking dish with melted butter and place a sheet of dough, leaving the corners exposed if you are using a round baking dish. Repeat the process by lightly buttering the sheet and adding another. The 'base' layer is now ready.
Quickly tear and lightly scrunch pieces of dough into the egg and cheese mixture. Place each handful next to the other, covering the baking dish. Do not press.
Arrange the scrunched-up dough sheets into the baking dish, reserving one or two sheets for the top. If you have some egg and cheese mixture left, gently pour over the entire dish. Fold over the corners of the bottom sheets and lightly butter them. Place one sheet and tuck in the ends.
Spoon melted butter and gently sprinkle over folded dough, saving several spoonfuls for buttering the final layer.
Gently brush with butter. (If you prefer, finish with one more sheet and butter again.) Poke the entire top with a fork 2 to 3 inches apart. Your gibanica is ready for the oven!
Preheat the oven to 360ºF and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden brown. This will depend on your oven. Check the surface after 45 minutes; if it is not golden brown, bake for 10 -15 minutes. Gibanica will puff up, so let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting it into pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

I use a porcelain baking dish 11 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 1/2 inches deep, but any 6" x 9" rectangular dish is also acceptable.

Feta is a Greek-brined white cheese made from sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk. It is soft and crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, formed into large blocks and aged in brine. Run the feta under cold water for 10 seconds for the best results. This will clear away any brine and firm it up. Use your hands or the tines of a fork to break it into crumbs, leaving some larger chunks.

Because this pita is so versatile, many other cheeses can be added. Sour cream or Half and Half can be a good substitute for yogurt or kefir. Farmer's cheese, salted to taste, is a convenient substitute for feta.

For best results, I suggest organic ingredients.

A bit of history: GIBANICA is a type of layered strudel, a combination of Turkish and Hungarian influences in various cuisines of former Yugoslavia. Its variants include Hungary, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and Syria! It can also be made with fruits and nuts.