Try these Romanian sweet cheese pies made with cottage cheese and raisins. They are also known as Branzoaice or Poale-n Brau.
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What are Branzoaice?
Like the Moldavian Yeast Pastries – Mucenici and the Romanian Cheese Pie, these Branzoaice or Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies are a staple in Moldavian or Moldovan cuisine. They are utterly anchored in the Moldavian food tradition but so good that just about anybody in Romania knows them.
The names of these cheese pies are rather strange: Branzoaice, roughly translated as Cheesies, or Poale-n Brau, roughly translated as Laps in the girdle. While the name Cheesies is rather obvious, I could not understand why the second name.
It originates in a habit that peasant women in Moldova had of stuffing the corners of their aprons in the girdle to make sure that it wouldn't get in the way while they washed or worked in the house. I suppose this kind of folding and stuffing the apron was somewhat similar to the way of folding the pastries. So now you know, and I do too. 🙂
Recipe ingredients
Yeast dough ingredients: Flour, yeast, sugar, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and salt. You can use either a cube (42 g/ 1.5 oz) of fresh yeast or 30 g/ 1 oz/ 2 tablespoons active dry yeast. Try this delicious and soft Yeast Cake, too. Or make some Yeast Rolls.
Filling ingredients: Cottage cheese, raisins, semolina, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
Cheese: Originally, the pastries were made with branza de burduf, a typical Romanian cheese that is rather salty and has a very strong taste. The cheese was sweetened with raisins and sugar.
Modern versions of these pies are made with the Romanian branza de vaci. This kind of cheese is mild, making the pies more delicate in taste and texture.
I chose cottage cheese as the main ingredient for the pastries because I find that to be quite similar to the Romanian intended cheese. Try Fried Papanasi and Boiled Papanasi, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Romanian sweet cheese pies?
Drain cheese: Place the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve and let drain for several hours.
Yeast dough: Sift the flour in a large bowl or in the bowl of the food processor. Crumble the fresh yeast on top or sprinkle the active dry yeast. Add a little milk and sugar, and let it get frothy for about 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead well.
Let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 1 hour. If the kitchen is not warm enough, I place the bowl in the oven and turn on the oven lights, just the lights and NOT the oven.
Filling: Mix the drained cheese with the rest of the ingredients (except the egg needed for brushing).
Savory alternative: fill the pastries with crumbled feta cheese. Add a little salt and pepper and some chopped dill if you like.
Roll and fill: Roll the dough into a large rectangle and divide it into 16 smaller squares.
Shape branzoaice:
- Divide the filling between the squares, about 1-2 teaspoons, into each square. Brush lightly the edges of the pies around the filling.
- Press two opposite corners of the pastry well together in the middle with your fingers.
- Take the other two opposite corners and press them well with your fingers. Press along the lines that are formed as well to close the pockets. They should look more or less like an envelope.
Press the corners of the pastry very thoroughly together to ensure the pies are properly sealed. Otherwise, they will open during the baking process, and although they will taste just as delicious if opened, they will not look so pretty anymore.
Bake: Brush the pastries with the beaten egg all over and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until deeply golden brown.
Storage
Branzoice, just like any yeast pastries, are at their best on the day you bake them.
However, leftovers are great for at least 2-3 days. You can also freeze the cooled pastries.
Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies – Branzoaice
Ingredients
Yeast dough:
- 450 g all-purpose flour 16 oz/ 3 ¾ cups
- 42 g fresh yeast 1.5 oz OR 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 200 ml milk lukewarm, scant 1 cup
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 2 eggs large
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Filling:
- 500 g cottage cheese 17.5 oz/ 2 ¼ cups
- 1 egg large
- 150 g granulated sugar 5.5 oz/ ¾ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- a pinch of salt
- 100 g raisins 3.5 oz/ ½ cup
- 65 g semolina 2.5 oz/ ⅓ cup
- 1 small egg for brushing
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Drain the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve thoroughly for about 3 hours.500 g cottage cheese/ 17.5 oz/ 2 ¼ cups
Yeast dough:
- Activate yeast: Sieve the flour in a large bowl or in the bowl of your food processor. Make some space in the middle, crumble the fresh yeast, or sprinkle the active dry yeast in there; add 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let rest for about 15-20 minutes until quite frothy.450 g all-purpose flour/ 16 oz/ 3 ¾ cups + 42 g fresh yeast OR 2 tablespoons active dry yeast + 2 tablespoon milk + 1Tbsp sugar
- Mix: Add the rest of the lukewarm milk, 2 eggs, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, and the salt. Mix well and add the vegetable oil.rest milk + 3 tablespoon sugar + 2 eggs + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Knead well with the food processor until the dough is elastic and doesn't stick anymore, but remember that it should be soft. If you knead the dough by hand, you might have to add a little bit of extra flour when kneading, but don't overdo it, the dough should remain soft.
- Let dough rise: Form a ball and let it rise in an oiled bowl for 1 hour, covered with a clean kitchen cloth and in a warm place. I usually place the bowl in the oven and turn the oven light on. Just the oven light, not the oven itself! The dough should have more than doubled its size by the end of one hour.
Filling:
- Mix filling: Place the drained cottage cheese into a bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, raisins, and semolina and mix well.cheese + 1 egg + 150 g granulated sugar/ 5.5 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon lemon zest + a pinch of salt + 100 g raisins/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup + 65 g semolina/ 2.5 oz/ ⅓ cup
Shape branzoaice:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Line the baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 3-4 mm/0.11-0.15 inches thick. Divide it into 16 smaller squares. Divide the filling between the squares, about 1-2 teaspoons into each square.
- Brush pastries: Beat the egg needed for brushing the pies in a small bowl. Lightly brush the free edges of the pies around the filling.
- Shape pies: Take two opposite corners of the pastry and press them together in the middle with your fingers. Take the other two opposite corners and press them well with your fingers as well. Press along the lines that are formed as well so that the pastries are closed. Ensure that the pockets are well sealed so that they will not open in the oven.
- Brush the pastries with the beaten egg all over and bake them for 15-20 minutes or until deeply golden brown.1 small egg
- Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy warm or cooled.
Alexandra Litman says
Excellent
Loretta Porter says
made these. my family loved them, wonderful.
Adina says
That's so cool! Thank you for the feedback.