Romanian Cheese Pies - Placinta Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Placinta cu branza or Romanian Cheese Pie – this is a savory version of the many cheese pie recipes you will find in Romania.

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Romanian Cooking

Cuisine: Romanian

Servings: pieces

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Adina

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/ 4½ 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.

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

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.

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.

Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.
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.