Booki from Krinichne by Tatiana Dukova
Cuisine: Bessarabian
Author: Maria Kalenska
Prep time: 1 hr 20 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 2 hrs 20 mins


Ingredients
  • 500 g flour
  • 6 g dry yeast
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • warm water
  • For the filling:
  • 150 g bryndza / sheep cheese / feta
  • 150 g small curd cottage cheese
  • For the sauce:
  • 3 small eggs
  • 250 ml milk
  • 100 g sour cream
  • lard or butter for greasing
Cooking method
  1. Sift flour into a large bowl. Add yeast, salt, sugar and stir. Pour vegetable oil and warm water into the dry mass. Add enough water to knead a soft elastic dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough to prove in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
  2. Heat the oven to 180°C. Mash cheese in a small bowl, add cottage cheese and stir. Beat eggs into a high container, whisk lightly, add milk and sour cream, and mix until smooth. Grease a baking dish.
  3. Divide the dough into four equal parts. Lightly sprinkle the working surface with flour. Roll each piece about 0.3 cm thick and cut into 5 cm wide strips. Put the filling in the centre of each strip. Pinch the dough and cut into 3 cm pieces. Place booki along the backing dish in a form of a circle. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the booki and bake for 40-60 minutes.
My tips and tricks
The word "booki" in the Old Bulgarian language means pieces. You can cook booki not only with bryndza and cottage cheese, but also with other fillings: stewed cabbage, pumpkin, urda with herbs. I serve booki warm along with fragrant honey and black tea - this is how children and women like to eat them in our villages. Men usually replace honey and tea with Bessarabian homemade red wine.

Maria Kalenska Gastronomy Blog | https://www.myodesacuisine.com/recipes/booki-from-krinichne-by-tatiana-dukova/