Cheese-Filled Pastries - Flaounes | Akis Petretzikis

halloumi cheese

🥗Healthier: ricotta cheese

💰Cheaper: mozzarella cheese

Ricotta provides a lighter option while mozzarella is more accessible.

feta cheese

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: cottage cheese

Tofu offers a plant-based alternative, while cottage cheese is cost-effective.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil is healthier, while vegetable oil is often less expensive.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: agave syrup

Honey is a natural sweetener, while agave syrup can be more budget-friendly.

Prepare the dough by mixing room temperature water, a little bit of yeast, flour, olive oil, and salt in a mixer for 5 to 8 minutes until a silky dough forms.

Place the dough in a bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and cover it with plastic wrap to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour depending on room temperature.

For the filling, grate clear cheese and halloumi cheese and mix them together.

Add raisins, lemon zest, semolina, and mint to the cheese mixture.

Smash mahlab and mastique with sugar in a mortar and pestle, then add to the filling along with cinnamon and the rest of the sugar.

Mix the filling ingredients together, then add one egg to bind the mixture into a paste.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll each piece into a circle, dusting with flour as needed.

Place a good amount of filling in the center of each circle, fold the dough over to form a square or triangle, and press the edges to seal.

Bake the pastries in a preheated oven at 200°C (fan) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens