Zeljanica

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 300 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspoil
• 1 tspvinegar

Filling

• 1 kgspinach, or a mix of spinach and chard
• 400 gyoung white cheese, sir, crumbled
• 200 gkajmak or cream cheese
• 3eggs
• 1onion, finely chopped, optional
• salt and pepper

To assemble

• 150 mloil
• or melted butter

To finish

• a splash of milk or soda water

Equipment

• a large round tepsija baking pan
• a big table and a cloth

To serve

• warm, cut in wedges, with yoghurt

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt, water, oil and vinegar into a soft dough. Knead it hard for 10 to 15 minutes until very smooth and elastic. Knead it thoroughly. It has to be stretched until it is translucent, and only a well-developed dough will take that without tearing.
2. Divide it into balls, oil them all over, cover them, and rest them for at least an hour. A warm bowl inverted over the balls keeps them soft.
3. Spread a cloth over a large table and flour it lightly. Roll a ball out as far as you can, then begin stretching it by hand. Use the backs of your hands, never fingertips or nails, which puncture the dough instantly.
4. Keep moving around the table rather than pulling from one place. Stretch it until it covers the table and you can read through it. Trim off the thick edges, which never thin out. Wash the spinach and shred it finely. Now salt it and leave it 20 minutes, then squeeze it out very hard.
5. Squeeze it genuinely dry in handfuls. Spinach is almost all water, and a wet filling makes a soggy pie and tears the thin dough as you roll it. Mix the squeezed spinach with the crumbled cheese, kajmak, eggs and seasoning. The cheese is salty and the spinach was salted already, so it may need none.
6. Spread the filling in a line along one long edge, in a strip about 5 cm wide. Now roll it up into a long thin tube, using the cloth to lift and turn it. Lift the cloth and let the dough roll itself, which is far easier than handling paper-thin sheets. Work outward, coiling loosely so there is room to expand. Brush the top generously with oil.
7. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 35 to 45 minutes until deep golden and crisp. When it comes out of the oven, splash a little milk or soda water over the top and cover it with a cloth for 10 minutes. Cut it into wedges and serve it warm. Serve plain yoghurt or kefir alongside, poured into a glass and drunk with it.

Technique

• In Bosnia burek means the meat pie specifically, not all pites.
• The spiral coil in a round pan is the Bosnian form.
• The splash of milk after baking softens the top crust.

Substitutions

• Ready-made filo, which is a common shortcut and gives a different texture.
• Chard or a mix of greens in place of spinach.

Variations

• Sirnica, made with cheese alone.
• Krompiruša, made with potato.
• Burek, made with minced meat.

History

Spinach and cheese pie made with hand-pulled filo, one of the Bosnian pite baked in a round tepsija pan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zeljanica?

Zeljanica is a bread & pastry from Bosnia and Herzegovina: spinach and white cheese phyllo pie. Spinach and cheese pie made with hand-pulled filo, one of the Bosnian pite baked in a round tepsija pan.

How long does Zeljanica take to make?

Zeljanica takes 1 hr 30 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Zeljanica?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made filo, which is a common shortcut and gives a different texture. Chard or a mix of greens in place of spinach.

What is the most important thing to get right in Zeljanica?

Spread a cloth over a large table and flour it lightly. Roll a ball out as far as you can, then begin stretching it by hand. Use the backs of your hands, never fingertips or nails, which puncture the dough instantly.