Banitsa, Bulgarian pie

This recipe for Banitsa, Bulgarian pie, I saw it to a person I admire a lot and some time ago I told her that I was going to make it. Better late than never! First of all, thank you Addie (Bread Stalker) for this fabulous discovery and recipe. We loved it at home and, without a doubt, I will continue to make it from now on. With this and other fillings 😉

To elaborate the banitsa recipe I have been guided by the recipe that Addie shared on her Instagram profile. I adapted the flours and the final amount of water to the flours I had at home. In fact I did the test with two different doughs using two different combinations of flours in which I had to adjust the amount of water, according to their absorption capacity. If the type of flour is suitable for a dough like this, it will give good results. It is important to use high-strength flours, which can be combined with a high-strength flour, but which also provides a good ratio of elasticity and extensibility.

It had been a while since I had worked with a dough of this type and I have to say that I didn’t know how much I missed it until I started working with it. For me it is immensely gratifying to work, stretch and shape a dough of these characteristics. For me it is a therapy of relationship and maximum evasion. Of course, I already tell you that it is not a dough that we can make under pressure, rush or situations that make us run.

The moment we decide to do it we have to make sure that we can dedicate the time it requires. Because stretching a dough like this will take time, we must work with care and delicacy.

I have prepared this recipe twice before sharing it with you, so that I have been able to correct mistakes I had in the first one, besides giving you 2 combinations of flours with their final hydration, as well as two ways to carry out the final proofing. That way you will be able to adjust it better to your schedule.

Leyends.

A Bulgarian legend says that when God created the world, He rewarded some countries with the most beautiful sea, others with the desert, others with pastures and mountains…. When it was Bulgaria’s turn, there was nothing left to give, so God collected the best of each country and offered them to Bulgaria.

Bulgarian cuisine is said to be the perfect reflection of this legend, as it represents Eastern European gastronomy and is one of the pillars of Balkan cuisine.

Banitsa origin.

Banitsa, also called banitza or banica, in Bulgarian баница, is a traditional Bulgarian dish made with filo dough, a mixture made from eggs, yogurt and sirene cheese(a variety of Bulgarian cheese). In addition to the classic cheese filling, this pastry can be prepared with a wide assortment of fillings either sweet (fruit) or savory (vegetables, meat…). In fact, in my case, I combine a savory ingredient, cheese, with a sweet one, apple spiced with cinnamon.

The variants with vegetables are called zelnik(зелник), from the word зелен ( Zelen ) meaning “green“. The leek variant is called praznik (празник) and the onion variant is called luchnik(лучник).

This preparation has a traditional and cultural origin, it was customary to prepare it for festivities such as Christmas, New Year and Easter during the X-XI centuries.

The word баница derives from the South Slavic гъбнѫти meaning “to bend“.

Archbishop Theophylact of Bulgaria, who lived in the 11th century, described in his letters the traditional diet of the Bulgarians of Pirin Macedonia, which included banitsa. Moreover, in the literature of this period, the banitsa not only symbolized the rural idyll in the original sense, but was also a structural element of the World Order and the national Cosmogony, where the sky was a “vryshnik“, and the earth was a uniform cake like a rolled dough.

When God decided to cover the earth with the sky, it turned out to be bigger and did not pass under the cover. It is for that reason that God decided to flatten it and that is how the earth was covered with folds, like a banitsa. This action symbolized the formation of mountains and plains among the ancient Bulgarians.

Centuries later, the leader of the national liberation movement, Georgy Rakovsky, described in detail “the most delicious Bulgarian banitsa, or mlyn, that many educated European travelers tasted in Bulgaria.”

In fact, many foreigners who visited Bulgaria between the 17th and 19th centuries left written memories of banitsa in diplomatic reports, travel notes, letters and memoirs.

“Bulgarians have a very tasty food, which is made of flour, cheese and honey. It is called “mlyn“, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Bulgarian cities” James Baker, British citizen, author of the book “European Turkey” in 1874.

It could be a evolution from the famous Börek.

Symbology.

In Bulgaria, banitsa is a symbol of Bulgarian cuisine and traditions. Traditionally, Bulgarians prepare and serve banitsa on two holidays: Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

On these days, people add kusmeti(literally luck, meaning fortune or lucky charm) into the banitsa. These are usually small pieces of dogwood branch with different amount of buds, symbolizing health and longevity. The branches are hidden inside the banitsa before baking.

When ready, the banitsa is cut into as many portions as there are family members and each piece contains one dogwood branch. In addition, two additional pieces of banitsa are cut, one for the house and one for the Virgin Mary, protector of the family.

One wish is granted for each branch and the different number of shoots from it helps to fulfill the corresponding wish. Wishes include happiness, health, success, travel, etc. Before taking a portion, the banitsa is rotated on the table and, once it stops, each person takes the portion in front of him or her. In this way, each member of the family finds his or her fortune inside.

Alternatively or in addition to the kusmeti, some add a coin or small pieces of paper with fortunes written on them (in the same way as fortune cookies). In this case, they are wrapped in aluminum foil to preserve them during baking.

Making banitsa.

This pie is made with filo dough. It is true that the quickest way to make it is to use store-bough phyllo dough, but it is also true that the final result has nothing to do with a home-made dough. On the other hand, a filo dough is not a leveaned dough? So maybe you ask me, why do you add sourdough if this dough is an unleavened dough?

Very good question, maybe I should not say in this case that it is a filo dough, but a leavened dough with a thickness similar to onion paper (in my case, not so much, I must practice more). The point is that reading Addie, I really wanted to make it with sourdough. She said that the end result was much lighter and airy. I can guarantee that the end result is extraordinary! Both in how light it is, mind you, taking into account the amount of butter it contains? As in the final flavor. At home they loved it.

On the other hand, banitsa is traditionally filled with sirene cheese. This type of cheese is a variety in brine that can contain up to 7% salt, just like feta cheese.

Another type of banitsa called tutmanik (тутманик) or poparnik (попарник) is made with leavened dough, but it is not a thin dough, but bread-like. The usual filling is cheese.

In my case, I have also added slightly sweetened and spiced apple. You can also add it or omit it, as you prefer.