Pite / Burek me Djath (Cheese Pie)
Based on my mothers recipe that could literally feed a small army, this cheese pie is something that will please the whole family! It's one of the most common made Albanian foods that tastes especially good when the dough is homemade and the amount of cheese isn't stingy. I personally love to eat it when its fresh and hot with some yogurt or kefir on the side, but most people prefer to eat it when it's cooled or the next day. Either way, you'll love it! It's flaky and crispy on the outside, and moist and cheesy on the inside. Of course, there are many other fillings for pite such as apples, meat, and spinach, etc., but lets start with the best, cheese!
Yield: 10-15 Servings
Ingredients:
For The Filling:
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I use the Polly-O brand)
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups shredded french feta cheese
For The Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups water (add more if you see that it's needed)
For Brushing the Dough:
2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
1 cup of oil (I use corn oil)
Directions:
1. Put all of the ingredients for the cheese in a bowl and mix until well incorporated. Leave it aside.
2. In a standing mixer, put all of the ingredients in and let the dough mix until well incorporated. Then, take it out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour to soften up.
3. Roll out the dough into a long strip.
4. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Pat down the dough in flour, and line them up. Cover with plastic wrap for the time being so they don't harden up.
5. Melt the butter and oil in a small saucepan.
6. Roll out your pieces of dough.
7. Brush each rolled out piece generously with the butter and oil mixture. Repeat and layer 3 times. This will create about 5 or 6 layered doughs. Let them all sit for about 20 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 420 degrees fahrenheit.
9. Now this part is tricky and needs to be done carefully. Slowly start to stretch out the dough until it forms into a big and thin square.
10. Spread the filling throughout the half of the stretched out dough, and start to roll it up.
11. Brush the oil and butter mixture on the base of the pan you will be using and start to place your rolled up pite into the pan. once all of your pite is in the pan, brush lightly with the butter mixture. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
11. After 45 minutes take off the foil and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Let the pite cool down about 10 to 20 minutes before serving and enjoy!
