These Romanian pretzels, or covrigei, are one of the most popular Romanian snacks. They are a cheesy, crunchy, and addictive pastry.
Covrigei were my favorite treats as a child. Well, they still are; I just don't get to eat them that often anymore. My grandmother made them every Christmas and Easter, and I always helped cut the dough, arrange the pretzels on the baking sheet, brush them with egg, and sprinkle them with caraway seeds.
When she got older, she stopped making them. For a while, we still got some from her sister, but eventually that stopped too. Luckily, we could also buy covrigei at the bakery. They were never quite as good as the homemade ones, but they were still delicious.
Check out the German Pretzel Recipe; they are different from the Romanian ones, but just as delicious. And you can also try the Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket.
Ingredients: 10 + salt | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Servings: 50-60 | Difficulty: Easy
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What are covrigei?
These Romanian snacks are called covrigei (small pretzels). They are similar to sărățele ("salties") but not quite. Both are salty, cheesy pastries sprinkled with caraway seeds, but the dough is slightly different. I make covrigei with feta, sour cream, and egg yolks, while sărățele are made with a yellow cheese such as Gouda or Cheddar and contain no eggs.
- I posted a recipe for the Romanian Saratele a couple of years ago.
Covrigei have the traditional pretzel shape, but you need a special cutter to make them. Sărățele are simply cut into strips, so they're easier to shape and just as delicious.
Recipe ingredients
If you make covrigei, you will first need a small pretzel cutter.
Cheese: Feta cheese or the Romanian salty telemea cheese. For an even cheesier version, you could sprinkle the pastry shapes with some Parmesan as well.
Seeds: Traditionally, the covrigei or saratele are sprinkled with caraway seeds. For me, there is no better option. However, you can also use sesame or nigella seeds. (All Amazon affiliate links open in new tabs)
Dairy: In Romania, we always use smetana, the Eastern European version of sour cream. However, if you cannot find it, you can replace it with crème fraiche or sour cream.
Other ingredients are flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, and eggs.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Romanian covrigei?
Step #1: Pulse flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles streusel. Add yolks, sour cream, and feta and process until combined. Divide the cheese pastry into several portions. Wrap the portions you are not using in plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated.
Step #2: Roll the dough ⅛ inch (3-4 mm) thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the covrigei, remove the dough from the holes, and reroll the scraps with the next portion. Without a cutter, cut the dough into finger-sized strips.
Step #3: Place them on the baking sheets, brush them with beaten egg, and sprinkle with seeds. For an even cheesier version, top a few with grated Parmesan.
Step #4: Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Shape the next batch while the first one bakes. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes so they don't break, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Check the first batch early, as ovens vary and the pastries can overbake quickly.
Tips
The best tip is to use two baking sheets; it makes the workflow quicker and easier. While the first batch of pastry is in the oven, use the time to cut the second batch and place the covrigei on a second baking tray.
Use unsalted butter, as it will be easier to control the salt amount. If using salted butter, add less salt at first, taste the pastry, and add more if necessary. Do that after adding the feta cheese, which is quite salty as well.
Use a block of feta cheese and crumble it yourself. It is easy to do in one minute and tastes much better than already crumbled feta.
Chilling: Before rolling the pastry, divide it into several portions. Keep one portion for rolling, but wrap the remaining ones with plastic wrap and refrigerate them. If they are left on the counter, they might get too soft by the time you roll them, making the rolling process more difficult.
How to store them?
These Romanian snacks keep well in airtight containers for about 1 week, probably a little longer.
However, we never ever managed to keep them for more than 2 days, not even when I made the double batch... they are really that good!
Romanian Pretzel - Covrigei
Equipment
- Food processor
- 2 Baking sheets
- Pretzel cutter optional, Note 1
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour Note 2
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter very cold
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon sour cream /smetana
- 7 oz feta cheese
- 1 egg for brushing
- caraway seeds
- sesame seeds
- nigella seeds
- Parmesan optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make covrigei dough: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt into the food processor. Pulse to mix. Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the flour. Mix until the mixture resembles streusel. Add the egg yolks, sour cream, and crumbled feta and mix to incorporate well.3¾ cups all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon baking powder + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + 1 cup unsalted butter + 3 egg yolks + 1 tablespoon sour cream + 7 oz feta cheese
- Refrigerate dough: Divide the dough into 2 or 3 parts and keep the rest of the dough wrapped in cling film in the fridge, while you cut the first batch of pretzels or sticks.
- Cut pretzels: Roll the dough about 0.12 - 0.15 inches/ 3-4 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with the pretzel cutter if you have one. Remove the pastry bits inside the holes of the pretzels. You will roll them again with the next batch of pastry. If you don't want to use a cutter, cut the dough into strips about as long and thick as a finger.
- Brush with egg: Place the pastry onto baking sheets. Brush them with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle them with the seeds of your choice. For an even cheesier version, you could sprinkle some of them with some Parmesan as well.1 egg + caraway seeds or sesame seeds or nigella seeds or Parmesan
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until nicely golden. Check the first batch repeatedly to make sure you get the baking time right. Ovens are different, and you don't want to overbake the pretzels.
- Second batch: While one batch is in the oven, cut the second batch, and so on. You should have at least 2 baking sheets; it makes the baking process quicker and easier.
- Cool: Leave the pretzels or sticks to cool slightly before you transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. If you try to move them immediately after baking, they might break, so it is better to leave them on the tray for about 5 to 10 minutes or so.
Notes
- Cutter: If you don't want to use a cutter, cut the dough into strips about as long and thick as a finger.
- Measurements: It's preferable to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- Storage: They will be fine in an airtight container for at least one week (probably longer if you manage).
Jenny says
I tried using the food processor as you suggested and sadly, my food processor (a Cusinart, so not a bad one!) could not handle the thickness of the dough. It was a bit of a disaster, my Cuisinart wouldn't even cut the butter into the flour. Where did I go wrong?
Adina says
Hi Jenny. It's hard to say from a distance. My first guess would be that you didn't measure the flour correctly and had too much. The dough is definitely soft enought to be knead in the food processor, I do it all the time.
mjskitchen says
I think you need to put an "addictive" warning on this recipe. Th diey look so good and after looking at the list of ingredients I can see a whole batch disappearing in no time. Love your pretzel cutter. 🙂
Felicia Hoble says
Exact ca la mama acasa! Pacat ca nu esti mai aproape 🙂 🙂
Adina says
Sunt bune!
Anca says
They look so nice, exactly as I know them.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I would snack on them until all gone! Cute pretzel mould.
Adina says
That's the problem with these pretzels, you just can't stop eating them until they're all gone. 🙂