Ingredients
Filling
- 500 gBulgarian sirene (brined white cheese), crumbled fine
- 4large eggs
- 250 gplain full-fat yoghurt
- 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
- ½ tspwhite pepper
Pastry
- 500 gkori za banitsa (thick Bulgarian filo sheets), thawed
- 150 gbutter, melted
- 60 mlsunflower oil
To finish
- 2 tbspyoghurt loosened with 2 tbsp water, for splashing
- 1clean tea towel
Directions
- Beat the eggs until frothy, then whisk in the yoghurt and the bicarbonate of soda. It will fizz slightly — the acid in the yoghurt reacting with the soda is what lifts the custard between the layers.
- Fold in the crumbled sirene and the white pepper. Do not add salt; the cheese carries plenty. The mixture should be loose and pourable, like thick batter.
- Mix the melted butter and oil together. Butter alone burns at the edges, oil alone tastes flat.
- Lay one sheet of pastry on the counter, brush it with the fat, and spoon a line of filling along one long edge. Fold the near edge over and roll it into a loose rope, not tight.
- Coil the first rope into the centre of a buttered 30 cm round tin, then coil each successive rope around it, leaving small gaps for steam.
- Brush the whole spiral with the remaining fat and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180°C (350°F) for a further 20 to 25 minutes until deeply golden and firm in the centre.
- Splash the hot banitsa with the loosened yoghurt, cover it with a tea towel and leave 15 minutes. This is the Bulgarian trick that stops the pastry shattering and gives it its characteristic soft-crisp texture.
- Cut along the coil into wedges and eat warm, with a glass of ayran or boza.
Technique
- Sirene is a brined sheep’s or cow’s milk cheese, salty and crumbly with real acidity. Well-drained feta is the closest supermarket match; anything creamy or mild produces a bland banitsa.
- Loose rolling matters. A tightly rolled rope steams into a doughy tube; a loose one keeps distinct crisp layers with soft custard between them.
- It can be assembled the night before and refrigerated unbaked, which is how most households handle a New Year’s Eve banitsa.
Substitutions
- Standard Greek filo works but is much thinner: use two sheets stacked as one, and expect a flakier, less chewy result than proper kori.
- Butter is now usual, but the older village version was made with sunflower oil alone and is perfectly authentic.
Variations
- New Year’s banitsa is baked with paper fortunes (късмети) and a dogwood twig hidden inside, one per guest.
- Tikvenik replaces the cheese with grated pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon and walnuts; zelnik uses wilted greens and leeks.
History
Filo coiled with sirene and eggs; the New Year banitsa hides fortune notes or a coin baked into the pastry.
Frequently asked questions
What is Banitsa?
Banitsa is a bread & pastry from Bulgaria: phyllo whirls with sirene cheese and egg, breakfast icon. Filo coiled with sirene and eggs; the New Year banitsa hides fortune notes or a coin baked into the pastry.
How long does Banitsa take to make?
Banitsa takes 25 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Banitsa?
Yes, within limits. Standard Greek filo works but is much thinner: use two sheets stacked as one, and expect a flakier, less chewy result than proper kori. Butter is now usual, but the older village version was made with sunflower oil alone and is perfectly authentic.
What is the most important thing to get right in Banitsa?
Fold in the crumbled sirene and the white pepper. Do not add salt; the cheese carries plenty. The mixture should be loose and pourable, like thick batter.
