Romanian Cheese Pastry
Plăcintă cu brânză is one of the oldest baked goods in the Romanian countryside, part of a wide family of stretched-dough pastries that stretches from the Balkans to Central Asia, all built on the same principle of rolling dough thin enough to see through before layering it with a filling. In Romania the cheese version is by far the most common, traditionally made with fresh cow's milk cheese from a family's own animals, a habit that ties the recipe closely to rural life and the rhythm of the dairy season. Every region and even every family has its own way of shaping the plăcintă, from tight spirals baked in a round tray to individual folded triangles fried in a pan, and the filling itself varies from sweet and vanilla-scented to barely sweetened and closer to a savory snack. Sold today from roadside stalls and bakeries across the country, plăcintă cu brânză remains a common breakfast and travel food, eaten out of hand while still warm from the oven.
Stretched, paper-thin dough
The dough is rolled and stretched by hand until almost see-through, giving the pastry countless delicate, crackly layers.
Sweetened farmer's cheese filling
Fresh cow's milk cheese is mashed with eggs, sugar and vanilla into a soft, slightly tangy filling.
Rolled into spirals or triangles
Home cooks shape the filled dough into tight coils or folded triangles, a technique passed down within families.
Baked until deep golden
Brushed with oil, the pastries bake until the outside turns crisp and golden while the filling stays soft.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 200ml warm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for stretching the dough
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 500g cow's milk cheese (or farmer's cheese)
- 2 eggs, for the filling
- 100g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
How to make it
- 1Knead the flour, egg, warm water, oil and salt into a smooth, elastic dough, then let it rest covered for at least 30 minutes.
- 2Divide the dough into small balls and roll each one out very thin, brushing lightly with oil to keep the sheets from sticking together.
- 3Mash the cheese together with the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until you get a smooth, slightly grainy filling.
- 4Spread a portion of the cheese filling over each thin sheet of dough, then fold or roll it into a tight spiral or triangle.
- 5Arrange the filled pastries on a greased baking tray, leaving a little space between each one.
- 6Brush the tops generously with oil or beaten egg, then bake in a hot oven until golden brown and crisp.
- 7Let the plăcinte cool slightly before serving, either warm or at room temperature, dusted with a little extra sugar.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
