Cypriot flaouna (pilavuna)
Karen Burns-Booth shares her glorious Cypriot flaouna recipe, a celebratory cheese- and egg-stuffed pastry served up during Ramadan and Easter in Cyprus. These delicious snacks also make a hearty breakfast when served with olives, tomato and punchy Cypriot coffee.
Ingredients
Dough
- 750g of strong white bread flour
- 7g of fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 300ml of water, tepid, to mix
Filling
- 200g of cheddar , grated
- 100g of halloumi , grated
- 50g of Parmesan , or Grana Padano, grated
- 1 tbsp of plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp of dried mint
- 4 eggs , beaten
- 50g of sultanas, optional
Glaze
- 1 egg , beaten
- sesame seeds
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2
Sift the flour into a food mixer bowl and add the remaining ingredients, adding more water if the mixture is too dry. Knead for 5 minutes with a dough hook or 10 minutes by hand. Place the dough into a large bowl and cover with an oiled piece of cling film. Leave in warm place to rise for 1 hour
3
To make the filling, mix 3 of the eggs with the remaining ingredients. Add the last egg if needed – you don't want the final mixture to be too runny. If you add the final egg and it gets too runny, add more cheese and flour to compensate. The mixture should be stiff enough to roll into balls
4
Roll out the dough and cut into 6 or 8 pieces. Roll out each piece to a square or a round and place a ball of filling in the middle. Bring the corners up to almost cover the filling
5
Brush the pastries with the beaten egg all over and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and sides
6
Place the pastries on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the pastries are well risen, dark golden brown and the filling has puffed up
7
Serve warm or cold; perfect for breakfast when sliced and served with olives, cheese and sliced tomatoes
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Cypriot flaouna (pilavuna)
