Bosnian Cheese Pie (Sirnica)
Sirnica sirnicaSay it: SEER-nee-tsah
Sirnica is a round Bosnian pastry made from stretched dough and a soft fresh-cheese filling, and it tastes best while still warm. A slice offers a crisp outside, tender folded layers, and a mild, creamy center with a slight tang. It appears at breakfast, lunch, and festive meals, with plain yogurt usually alongside. The useful part for a cook is that the dough rests while the filling comes together, and the whole coil bakes in a single pan.
Bosnian Cheese Pie (Sirnica)
Sirnica, sirnica
Pronounced SEER-nee-tsah
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 hr 50 min
- Level
- Advanced
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.
Dough
Filling
Assembly
Method
For the dough, stir the flour and salt together in a wide bowl. Hollow out the center, pour in the water and oil, and mix until the flour is evenly damp and the mixture looks rough. Turn it onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until supple and elastic. Leave it under a damp towel for 30–60 minutes.
For the filling, break the cheese into a bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, and salt, then stir until blended but still a little lumpy.
Set the oven to 375°F (190°C). Oil a 12-inch (30 cm) round pan.
Shape the rested dough into 6 equal balls and keep them covered. Work on a flour-dusted cloth with one ball at a time: roll it into a thin round, then draw it outward from the middle with the backs of your hands or knuckles until it is almost transparent. Coat the sheet lightly with oil or melted butter.
Spread one-sixth of the filling over the sheet, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border clear. Roll the sheet loosely into a rope, then coil it into a spiral and put it at the center of the pan.
Do the same with the remaining dough and filling. Join each new rope to the outer edge of the coil and keep winding the spiral. Brush the top generously with oil or melted butter.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. If the top darkens too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm.
Regional variant: Layered cheese pita (pita sa sirom)
Instead of rolling each stretched sheet into a rope, arrange the sheets flat inside the oiled pan. Brush every sheet with oil and spread filling between layers. Put a final oiled sheet on top, without filling, and bake as directed. The finished pie is a flat stack of thin layers instead of a spiral.
Cook's notes
- Keep every dough ball except the one you are stretching under a cloth; dry dough is much harder to stretch.
- A small hole can be pressed shut with your fingers and ignored, since the coil hides the repair.
- For a faster route, use 1 lb (450 g) shop-bought phyllo, oiling each sheet before adding filling; the pastry will be lighter and flakier.
Serve with
Serve it warm with plain yogurt or sour cream; ayran or kefir are common drinks alongside.
Make ahead and storage
Cover and refrigerate baked sirnica for up to 3 days, then reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven until crisp. Unbaked coils can be frozen for up to 1 month; bake them from frozen and add 10–15 minutes.
Questions cooks ask
What cheese is used in sirnica?
The filling calls for 1 lb (450 g) of fresh cow's cheese (sir or svježi sir). Drained farmer cheese or ricotta can be used instead. It is mixed with 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, and 1/2 tsp fine salt. Some cooks replace up to half of the fresh cheese with crumbled feta for a saltier filling.
How do you make Bosnian sirnica?
Make a dough from flour, salt, water, and oil, knead about 10 minutes, and rest it under a damp towel for 30–60 minutes. Stretch each of 6 dough balls until almost transparent, brush with oil, spread filling, roll into a rope, and coil in an oiled 12-inch (30 cm) pan. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 45–50 minutes.
Can you freeze unbaked sirnica?
Yes. Unbaked coils can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bake them from frozen and add 10–15 minutes to the baking time. Baked sirnica keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and is reheated in a 350°F (175°C) oven until crisp.
Can you make sirnica with shop-bought phyllo?
Yes. For a faster route, use 1 lb (450 g) shop-bought phyllo, oiling each sheet before adding filling. The pastry will be lighter and flakier than the stretched-dough version. Bake as directed at 375°F (190°C) for 45–50 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes if the top darkens too quickly.
