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Category:
Breads & Savouries/Savoury Pies/ Turnovers
Rating:
4.83
Contributor:
n/a
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FLAOUNES (Traditional Easter Cheese Pies)
Dough
1kg flour (village, Farina or plain flour is best)
1tbsp baking powder or packet of ready yeast
320gr of spry or ½ - ¾ cup of olive oil
2-3 eggs
Milk and Water – up to ½litre when mixed
Pinch of salt
250g Sesame seeds
Cheese filling
1kg of cheese(*)
1 pkt of ready yeast or 1tbsp baking powder
6-8 eggs
200g sultanas or to taste (optional – some people prefer them plain)
Fresh or dried mint (**)
Mechlepi (a sweet smelling spice made from the inside of cherry pips) (1/2tsp)
masticha (or gum dried powdered resin) (1/2tsp)
Cinnamon (1/2tsp)
(*you can use village cheese, haloumi, or cheddar cheese or a mixture of all three whatever you can find or prefer. It’s nicer with village cheese and Halloumi)
(**if using fresh use about 1 cup of chopped fresh mint or less, to taste, if you put too much the pies will be bitter. If using dried you need about 1 heaped tbsp, again this is to taste)
 Method
First make the cheese filling, as this needs to rest for at least 2 hours maybe longer. You can normally tell it’s ready as it rises and springs back when touched.
To make the cheese filling – Grate the cheese; add the spices, eggs and the yeast. Mix in the sultanas and mint and leave to rest.
To make the dough – sift flower and salt in a bowl and add the oil or shortening, mix well.
Add milk, water and eggs. Knead as leave to rest. Again you can tell if the dough is ready when it springs back to the touch.
Prepare the sesame - Soak the sesame seeds in hot water, then rinse in cold and drain onto a towel in a flat tray
Beat an egg with some sesame seeds for glazing the pies before cooking
To make the pies – Roll out the dough into the desired shape, you can make them round, square or triangular whatever you prefer. You can make them as large or as small as you like but the thickness of the pastry should be about ¾ - 1 cm when rolled out.
Press the bottom of the pastry pies into the sesame seeds.
Put the required amount of filling into the pastry, usually you judge this depending on the size of your pastry. You need to leave about 3 or 4 cm to fold over the mixture so it does not escape when cooking. Press the corners where the pastry meets, lightly with a fork to seal the edges.
Leave the flaounes to stand for a while, till risen, again you can tell with the touch method.
Brush top with the glaze.
Bake in a hot oven on hot pastry sheets, till golden brown and well risen, the bottom should also be cooked. You can normally tell they are ready in the same way that you test bread. If you knock the underside it should give off a hollow sound.
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