Placinta cu branza, or Romanian Cheese Pie, is a savory version of one of the many cheese pie recipes found in Romania.
Make this delicious placinta recipe if you want to try some authentic, traditional Romanian food! Placinta cu branza is filled with feta and dill; it's soft, comforting, and perfect for a light meal or as a snack.
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What is placinta?
Placinta is a traditional Romanian pastry, also popular in Moldova and Ukraine. Itโs a round dough filled with sweet or savory fillings.
The most common are cheese pies - placinte cu branza, which can be sweet or savory. Todayโs version uses salty feta cheese and dill, but also try the sweet cheese-filled Branzoaice or placinte cu varza (cabbage pies) - theyโre divine!
Placinta recipes vary by region, but Romanians love them in any form. Traditionally made with yeast dough, theyโre now also made with puff pastry, filo, or shortcrust. They can be baked, shallow-fried, or deep-fried. I prefer baking or shallow-frying to avoid the smell and extra calories of deep-frying.
If you visit Romania, try gogosi (fried pies filled with cheese or Nutella). Theyโre incredibly addictive and can be found on street corners everywhere.
Recipe ingredients
Cheese: Ideally, Iโd use Romanian cheese, branza de burduf, to fill these piesโthe same cheese used in the Romanian sausage stew with cheese and eggs or enjoyed with Romanian mamaliga (polenta). If I can't find it, sheepโs feta cheese is my preferred substitute.
Fresh yeast is the best kind of yeast you can use. For these Romanian cheese pies, you would need half a cube of fresh yeast, so about 20 g/ 0.7 oz fresh yeast.
Active dry yeast (1 sachet or 2 teaspoons) has to be dissolved in water before use.
Instant dry yeast (1 sachet or 2 teaspoons) can be mixed with the dry ingredients before adding the milk (or water). I used this kind of yeast for this recipe.
Fresh dill gives placinta its typical taste. Frozen dill is a good substitute, but don't use dried dill for this recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to fill and shape placinte?
The picture shows you how to form the pies. The pies in the picture are filled with cabbage, but the filling and shaping method is the same.
- Step #1: Make the yeast dough and let it rise.
- Step #2: Knead the dough very briefly to bring it into shape again. Divide it into 10 parts and form 10 balls.
- Step #3: Roll each ball into a thin circle.
- Step #4: Place some filling in the middle of the circle.
- Step #5: Make a pocket by bringing together all the sides of the circle and pressing lightly to seal the pocket.
- Step #6: Flatten the pocket with the rolling pin. Rest for about 10 minutes.
- Step #7: Cook placinte cu branza in batches in a large nonstick pan.
Tips for making yeast dough
Always use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) for measuring the ingredients; cup measuring is too imprecise. Too much flour will make the pies dense and chewy.
The water used to proof the yeast should be lukewarm, around body temperature. Water that's too hot can kill the yeast. Adding sugar helps the yeast bubble, and salt aids gluten development, which helps the pies keep their shape.
For the best rise, keep the dough in a warm kitchen. If your kitchen isnโt warm enough, place the bowl in the oven with just the oven light on (not the oven itself). This will help the dough rise.
Allow the dough to double in size, but don't let it rise too much, as over-rising can cause it to fall.
Storage
Wrap them in a cloth towel and keep them at room temperature (unless the weather is hot) for 1-2 days.
Refrigerate them for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Reheat them in a hot pan, adding a bit of oil and flipping them a few times in between. Or reheat them in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until warm.
How to serve placinte?
The Romanian cheese pies should be served immediately. They are fine to eat when cooled as well, but just like it is with most yeast-baked goods, eating them when super fresh is best.
They are mostly served as a snack.
However, they make a wonderful and filling main meal when served together with tomato and onion salad, green salad with yogurt dressing, or a fresh vegetable salad similar to the Shopska salad.
Romanian Cheese Pies - Placinta Recipe
Equipment
- Nonstick pan
- Stand mixer optional
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour 1.1 lb/ 4ยฝ cups, Note 1
- 1 packet instant dry yeast 2 teaspoons, Note 2
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 250 ml lukewarm water 1 cup
- 350 g feta cheese preferably sheep's feta, 12.5 oz
- 3 green onions
- 1 small bunch dill
- fine sea salt and black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons oil for frying
Instructions
Yeast dough:
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Slowly start adding the lukewarm water, mixing with a spoon until the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it stops sticking too much to the walls of the bowl, flouring your hands from time to time if necessary.500 g all-purpose flour/ 4ยฝ cups + 1 packet instant dry yeast + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + 250 ml lukewarm water/ 1 cup
- Let dough rise: Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Stand mixer: Alternatively, you can prepare the yeast dough in a food processor using the appropriate kneading accessories. I knead this kind of dough for about 3-4 minutes in the stand mixer.
Filling:
- Make cheese filling: Crumble the feta cheese finely, but don't turn it into a paste; it is enough if you use a fork to crumble it. Add the finely chopped green onions and dill. Mix well and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.350 g feta cheese/ 12.5 oz + 3 green onions + 1 small bunch dill + fine sea salt and black pepper
Shape the pies:
- Roll yeast dough: Knead the dough very briefly to bring it into shape again. Divide it into 10 parts and form 10 balls. Roll each ball into a thin circle. I did not require extra flour for rolling but sprinkle the working surface and the rolling pin very lightly with flour if the dough starts to stick.
- Fill Romanian placinte: Place some filling in the middle of the circle and form a pocket by bringing together all the sides of the circle and pressing lightly to seal the pocket. Roll the pocket again to make it flat. (See pictures above)
- Rest pies: Place the pies on a piece of baking paper and let rest for 10 minutes.
Fry:
- Cook placinte: Heat a large nonstick pan. Brush it or spray it with a little oil and fry the pies for 2-3 minutes on each side. You will have to work in two or three batches, adding a bit more oil between the batches. 2-3 tablespoons oil
- Serve: Keep the finished pies warm in the lightly heated oven. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.ย
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast instead. Sprinkle it into 5 tablespoons of the lukewarm water you've measured and let it sit for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy. Then, mix it with the remaining ingredients and continue with the recipe.
Bethany says
Question! Am I able to bake these instead of fry? I plan to make these for a church potluck and would love to be able to bake them in the oven there and serve them right away as you recommend. The frying would make things a bit trickier as there are usually many cooks in the kitchen for the potlucks haha.
Thank you!
I canโt wait to surprise our Romanian and Ukrainian parishioners with this treat!
Adina says
Hi Bethany. I think that frying is better than baking in this case. I have never tried to bake them, so I can't say how that will work out.
Sandra says
Do you have an ethnic cooking cookbook of Hungarian or Romanian or German etc recipes! They sound so tasty and many are like my mom and grandma used to make. Or maybe you can recommend a cookbook with similar traditional recipes?
Adina says
I don't have a book. Most Romanian and Hungarian recipes I post are personalized versions of my grandma's or aunt's recipes. The German ones are mostly inspired by my mother in law's.
Nicole Ruiz Hudson says
Hi , I found your blog while looking for recipes to pair with Moldovan wines for a blog post of my own I was working on. I made these as well as your recipe for Pรขrjoale. Your site was a great resource for me and I had great results with both recipes, so thanks so much! My husband and I particularly LOVED these and I will definitely be making them again! (Here's a link to my post, in case you're interested: https://www.sommstable.com/2020/07/tasty-moldovan-food-wine-explorations.html)
Adina says
Thank you for your comment, Nicole, I am so glad you like the meatballs and the cheese pies. I've just read your article, very interesting, I didn't know much about Moldovan wine. The mention of Stefan the Great brings back memories, he used to be the hero of our history lessons in school, the most popular ruler in Romanian/Moldovan history probably.
Linda says
I like your recipes
Adina says
Thank you, Linda. ๐
Simon says
I must try these some day. they look tasty
Sissi says
How delicious these pies look! I am sure I'd love the filling of feta and dill (makes me think of Greek cuisine). And I see you make them on a pan! It's really good news for me. I must try these one day.
Denise Browning says
It looks quite comforting. It reminds me cheese filled arepas.
Valentina | The Baking Fairy says
These sound absolutely delicious! They almost make me think of pizza dough pockets filled with cheese. I love the idea of a sweet version too, I can't wait to see it!
Monica says
Looks so tasty. They look like scallion pancakes to me at first and I also think of naan. I like how you shallow fry them. Definitely worth the effort!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
They look like Indian stuffed flatbread...must be very delicious!