Banitsa Recipe, Bulgarian Cheese Pie

A Bulgarian-American woman on the east side of the country named Petya graciously took the time to teach me how to make her Baba’s banitsa. Entirely over the internet. No distance or global pandemic can stop the power of grandma food!

There are many ways of making this delicious cheese pie, and many Bulgarian grandmother’s have their own ways of pulling this classic dish together (both of Petya’s grandmother’s have a variety of ways to prepare this). This particular version saves some time by using store bought phyllo.

Bulgarian ingredients make a difference! Spring for Bulgarian feta cheese and sunflower oil if you can find them.

Banitsa Recipe

This Bulgarian cheese pie layers a rich filling of Bulgarian feta cheese, yogurt & eggs between flaky phyllo dough. Perfect for brunch, or as a rich, tasty side dish. Or an appetizer! Or a midnight snack! It's good all the time, and doesn't take long if using store-bought phyllo dough to save time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • 10" cake or tart pan (9" cake pan will also work fine here)
  • Pastry brush
  • Linen towel

Ingredients
  

  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups neutral tasting oil, like canola (Bulgarian sunflower oil is the preference, but can be hard to find.)
  • 1 lb Bulgarian feta cheese (Beta cheese from Malincho works well)
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • 1/4 cup plain, full-fat yogurt
  • 1 package store-bought phyllo dough (Bulgarian if possible)
  • 1 T sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  • Use pastry brush to coat tart or cake pan with layer of oil. Set aside.
  • Place entire package of Bulgarian feta in bowl, and use a fork to break apart.
  • Make a well in the center of your cheese, and place eggs and yogurt in well. Whisk together, then incorporate into cheese. You should have a goopy mixture that can be ladled.
  • Open package of phyllo, and carefully unfold dough, trying to not tear. Lay dough down on clean surface, and cover with towel to avoid drying out while working.
  • Working carefully, place a sheet of phyllo into prepared pan. Use pastry brush to coat phyllo dough with oil (be thorough with oil, and not too stingy. Should be thoroughly coated, but not dripping.) Allow edges of phyllo to come up the sides of the pan.
  • Repeat exact same process 2 more times, so there is a total of 3 layers of phyllo on the bottom of the pan, with oil in between each.
  • Using a ladle or a spoon, lace 1/5 of your feta mixture into tart pan. Spread around fairly evenly, but don't get too obsessive. You don't need completely even coverage. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar on top of the filling.
  • Place a sheet of phyllo on top of the filling, and coat with oil.
  • Repeat 4 more times, until you have a total of 5 layers of filling, with a sheet of phyllo between each.
  • Top pie with at least 4 more sheets of phyllo & oil. If you have phyllo dangling out the sides of the pan and sticking out, you can trime these off with scissors and either toss them on top of the pie to be extra crispy bits, or discard.
  • Coat top with a layer of oil, and a sprinkle of sugar.
  • Place in preheated oven, and bake for at least 45 minutes, and up to an hour, until the Banitsa is golden brown, and the eggs are completely set. Check to see if the top is getting to brown at the 30 minute mark. You can either turn down the heat, or cover the top with foil.
  • Allow to cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve warm. Enjoy!