Cheese Swirls from Limnos

RATING

PREP TIME

20 min

COOK TIME

25 min

RECIPES

Cheese

Greek Breakfast

Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the phyllo
1 ½ cups fine semolina flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water or more, as needed

Filling

1 lb. / ½ kilo Limnos kalathaki cheese or feta crumbled
1 small bunch scallions trimmed and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint
1/3 cup snipped wild fennel or dill fronds
4 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for brushing phyllo and pan

Instructions

Make the dough: Combine the semolina, flour and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer outfitted with a dough hook. Add the water and knead by hand or dough hook until the pastry is smooth and firm, about 10 – 12 minutes. You may need to add a little more water if necessary. Shape the dough into a large ball and set aside to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for one hour.
Combine the cheese, scallions, herbs and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add and mix in the eggs.
Oil a large baking sheet and preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
Cut the dough into quarters and cut each quarter in half. Shape each piece into a nugget or ball. Let the pieces rest for 15 minutes on a floured surface, covered with a kitchen towel.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the first dough piece to a rectangle about 12 X 15 inches big. Cut it in half across the width. Brush very lightly with olive oil. Take a heaping tablespoon of the filling and spread it across the bottom of the first dough piece, about an inch / 2.5 cm from the edges. Fold over the bottom flap of dough and then roll up the filling and dough to shape a tight cylinder. Form this into a spiral, tucking the edge underneath. Place on an oiled sheet pan, or one lined with parchment paper. You may have to do this in batches or on two sheet pans for them all to fit. Repeat with remaining dough and filling until done.
Bake the pastries in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove, cool slightly and serve.