Cheese pie is sometimes known as a cheese version of burek. It’s a savoury dish that is very popular is in the Balkans. You can make it from scratch or with store-bought pastry. It’s often eaten in combination with plain yogurt or in our case milk kefir.
Ingredients:
4 l (135 oz) fresh milk
1 pack of filo pastry (300-500 g/10-17 oz)
2 tbsp creamy kefir cheese
1 tsp salt
oil
Instructions:
Curd cheese filling:
Leave milk in a dish on the room temperature for 12-24 hrs until it thickens so you can cut through it. Put it on the stove and heat it to approx 80 °C (175 °F) – do not boil – until the solids separate from the whey. Use the round spatula with holes to transfer it into the Kefirko Cheese Maker mesh basket. If needed pour out the extra whey, or use the big Kefirko jar (1,5 l/50 oz). Leave to strain for 6-12 hrs. The longer it strains, thicker it becomes. You will get about 500-600 g (17-21 oz) of curd cheese which is the measurement of the mesh basket. Mix in the creamy kefir cheese.
Cheese pie/burek:
You can roll it or make it in layers. To make it in layers, grease sheets of dough. You can use two sheets for each layer when using the store bought dough. Lay two sheets of greased dough on the bottom of the pan then add cheese filling and cover it with two sheets of dough. Repeat this a few times, you should make at least 5-7 layers. Put three sheets of greased dough on the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 200 °C (390 °F) then cut it to triangles and serve it together with yogurt or kefir.
Don’t trash the remaining whey! It’s very healthy and full of proteins and can be used in different dishes (pancakes, smoothies etc.). You can store it in the fridge using a second fermentation jar (see below).
