Banitsa 🧀 Bulgarian Cheese Spiral 🇧🇬 (Banica)

Description

Flaky phyllo coiled into a golden spiral with a lush sirene–yogurt–egg filling—crisp sheets, creamy heart. On New Year’s Day, Bulgarians often tuck a paper “kusmet” (lucky fortune) into a slice.

Hook: Mix, roll, coil—bakery banitsa with shatter-crisp layers and soft custard. ⚡

Ingredients

• Filling
• 🧀 Bulgarian sirene or feta, crumbled: 500 g (4 cups / 17.6 oz)
• 🥛 Plain yogurt (full-fat): 300 g (1¼ cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🥚 Eggs: 4 large (≈200 g / 7 oz)
• 🥄 Baking soda (bicarbonate): 5 g (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈1 g / pinch) — only if cheese is mild
• ⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• Pastry & finish
• 📜 Phyllo sheets, thawed: 450–500 g (16–20 sheets / 16–18 oz)
• 🧈 Unsalted butter, melted: 100 g (½ cup / 3.5 oz)
• 🫗 Sunflower oil (for brushing): 40 ml (3 tbsp / 1.4 fl oz)
• 💧 Sparkling water (for lift): 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🌰 Sesame seeds (optional): 1 tbsp (9 g / 0.32 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Heat & pan: Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F. Lightly brush a 30 cm / 12 in round (or 23×33 cm / 9×13 in) pan with 🫗 oil.
2. 2️⃣ Filling: Whisk 🥛 yogurt with 🥄 baking soda—let foam 1 min. Whisk in 🥚 eggs, then fold in 🧀 cheese; season with a pinch of 🧂 and ⚫ pepper.
3. 3️⃣ Make ropes: Lay 1 sheet 📜 phyllo; brush lightly with a mix of 🧈 butter + 🫗 oil. Spread a thin strip of filling along the long edge; roll into a snug rope.
4. 4️⃣ Coil: Place the first rope in the pan center; coil. Repeat with remaining sheets, attaching ropes end-to-end to fill the pan. Brush the top with remaining butter–oil; drizzle 💧 sparkling water over the surface. Sprinkle 🌰 sesame if using.
5. 5️⃣ Bake: Bake 35–45 min until puffed and deep golden. Rest 10–15 min for clean slices.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 40 min
⏳ Total: 1 h

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