Macedonian Coiled Cheese Pie (Maznik)
Маџник (Мазник) Madžnik (Maznik)Say it: MAHDZH-neek
Maznik is a Macedonian coiled pie, a close cousin of banitsa, made by stretching dough until it is almost transparent, rolling it around a savoury filling and curling the long roll into a spiral before baking. It comes out of the oven blistered and crisp on top, tender and cheesy within, and it is eaten across North Macedonia for breakfast, as a snack, or with a bowl of cold yoghurt. The cheese version here is the everyday one; a meat filling is just as traditional.
Macedonian Coiled Cheese Pie (Maznik)
Маџник (Мазник), Madžnik (Maznik)
Pronounced MAHDZH-neek
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the dough
For the cheese filling
To finish
Method
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water, 3 tbsp of the oil and the vinegar, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and springs back when pressed. It should be soft but not sticky; add a spoonful of flour only if it clings to your hands.
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Pour a little oil into a small bowl, roll each ball in it to coat, and set them on an oiled tray. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest at room temperature for at least 40 minutes, so the gluten relaxes and the dough stretches without tearing.
Meanwhile make the filling. crumble the cheese into a bowl, beat the eggs with the yogurt and the 3 tbsp oil, and stir everything together. Taste first and add salt only if your cheese is mild, since brined cheese is usually salty enough.
Lightly oil a clean cotton tablecloth or a large work surface and your hands. Put one ball of dough in the middle and stretch it outward from the centre with the backs of your oiled hands, working around the circle, until it is paper-thin and you can see the pattern of the cloth through it. Trim any thick, ragged edges.
Brush the stretched sheet with oil, then spread a quarter of the cheese filling evenly over it, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border. Roll the sheet up loosely from one side into a long cylinder.
Repeat with the remaining three balls of dough and the rest of the filling, so you end up with four long filled rolls.
Generously oil a round 11-inch (28 cm) baking pan. Coil the rolls into it one after another, joining them end to end into a single spiral, and tuck the last end underneath. Brush the top with the melted butter.
Bake in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and crisp and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. If it colours too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.
Let the maznik rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and cut it into wedges straight from the pan, or turn it out onto a board first.
Regional variant: Meat Maznik (Маџник со месо)
Replace the cheese filling with 1 lb (450 g) finely ground beef or pork browned with 1 large finely chopped onion, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper, then cooled and stirred together with 2 beaten eggs to bind and moisten. Leave out the yogurt, brush the stretched dough with oil only, and bake exactly as above, adding 5–10 minutes if the centre feels heavy when tapped.
Cook's notes
- The double rest is what makes the dough stretchable — if it fights back and tears while you work, cover it and wait 10 more minutes.
- A lightly oiled cotton tablecloth is the traditional stretching surface: it grips the dough so it does not slide away from you.
- For a crisp base, heat the oiled baking pan in the oven for 5 minutes before coiling the rolls into it.
Serve with
A bowl of cold plain yogurt or a glass of ayran, and a simple tomato and cucumber salad.
Make ahead and storage
Best eaten the day it is baked; keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes to crisp the top.
