Flaouna (Greek: φλαούνα, Turkish: pilavuna) is a cheese-filled pastry from the island of Cyprus, which may include raisins or be garnished with sesame seeds. Flaounes are traditionally prepared for Easter.
a cheese filled pastry interspersed with cheese.
The cheese can be a mixture of Graviera, Hallumi, Mizithra and Kefalotyri insde a pastry similar to shortcrust.
If you've been inspired by the Great British Bake Off challenge, here is a flaouna recipe you can try.
Ingredients – makes 12 flaounes
Yeast dough
1 ½ lbs (750gr) strong plain flour
1 sachet easy bake yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Water to mix
Cheese filling
2oz flaouna cheese or 8oz (250gr) cheddar cheese
4oz (100gr) halloumi
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon crushed dried Mint
4 eggs lightly beaten
How to make flaounes
1. Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast, salt and sugar.
2. Add the oil and enough water to make the mixture firm.
3. Knead for 5 minutes in smooth and elastic.
4. Put the dough in a plastic bag and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to prove.
5. Grate the cheese andadd the flour and baking powder
6. Gradually stir in the beaten egg and seasonings until you have a stiff paste
7. Divide the dough into egg sized pieces
8. Roll the dough pieces into 4" (10cm) discs.
9. Add a tablespoon of filling into the centre of each disc
10. Pull the dough up at 3 points to make a triangle – you should still be able to see the filling in the centre
11. Ptress the corners together to seal and leave to rise
12. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking
13. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes at 230C / Gas Mark 8 until the cheese filling is puffed and the pastry is golden.
OR:
Ingredients for filling: 1kg of Romano cheese, 250g of haloumi, 50g of fresh yeast dissolved in 125ml of warm milk and a half teaspoon of white sugar, 180g of semolina, 150g of plain flour, seven eggs, a bunch of mint, two teaspoons of baking powder, 170g of sultanas
Ingredients for pastry: 1kg of plain flour, 5g of mastic, 10g of mahlepi, 40g of fresh yeast dissolved in 125ml of warm milk and half a teaspoon of white sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 litre of milk, 250g of sesame seeds, six egg yolks
Ingredients for glaze: a dash of vinegar, 250g of sesame seeds and six egg yolks lightly beaten
Method:
To make the filling, combine the cheeses, yeast mixture, semolina, plain flour and eggs in a large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The following day, stir in the mint, baking powder and sultanas until well combined.
To make the pastry, place the flour, mastic, mahlepi, yeast mixture, butter and salt in a large bowl.
Adding the milk a little at a time, knead ingredients together until soft but not sticky.
Cover with plastic wrap, a towel or blanket, and set aside to rest for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, to make the glaze, place the sesame seeds, vinegar and enough water to cover in a small saucepan and bring to boil.
Drain well and spread seeds over a tea towel to dry.
To assemble, divide dough into large pieces and roll out on a lightly floured work surface until about 3 mm thick.
Using a saucer as a template, cut into 18 cm rounds.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line baking trays with baking paper.
Firmly press one side of pastry rounds into sesame seeds on tea towel to coat bases well.
Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling into centre and fold in three sides to make a rounded triangle shape, leaving a gap in centre with filling exposed.
Place on prepared trays.
Brush tops with beaten egg yolk and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.
