Ingredients
1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry (homemade recipe included at the end of the recipe)
Flour for dusting the work surface
200 grams of Bulgarian cheese
120 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
100 grams of fresh oregano leaves
For baking:
1 beaten egg with a tablespoon of water
200 grams of sesame seeds
Salt
For syrup:
50 grams of sugar
50 grams of water
Preparation
Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 20 cm wide and 1 cm thick.
Soften the Bulgarian cheese in a bowl and spread it over two-thirds of the bottom of the puff pastry. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and oregano leaves over the Bulgarian cheese.
Fold the puff pastry into thirds: fold the top third without cheese over the middle third, covering about half of the cheese-covered area. Then fold the bottom third over the middle third.
Wrap the folded dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
Dust the work surface with flour again and roll out the puff pastry into a 30 cm square, about 4-5 mm thick.
Brush the puff pastry with beaten egg, sprinkle half of the sesame seeds, and add a pinch of salt.
Flip the pastry over and repeat the process with the other side, brushing it with beaten egg and sprinkling the remaining sesame seeds and a little salt.
Cut the pastry into strips measuring 30 cm in length and 2 cm in width. Twist each strip to create a spiral shape.
Tie a simple knot with each pastry strip, but don’t pull the ends all the way through. Instead, wrap the other end of the strip into the knot to create a bow-like shape.
Place the pastries on the baking trays with space between them, cover with a large plastic bag, and let them rise for an hour at room temperature until they become soft to the touch and puffy.
Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup: bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 190°C on turbo mode. Transfer the baking trays to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the pastries turn golden brown. Remove the pastries from the oven and brush them with the sugar syrup.
Puff Pastry Dough Recipe
Ingredients:
400 grams bread flour
15 grams fresh yeast
40 grams sugar
15 grams honey
7 grams salt
25 grams butter, cubed
185 grams cold water
Flour for dusting the work surface
For lamination:
200 grams cold unsalted butter or regular butter
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, honey, and salt. Add the butter and water, and mix until a smooth dough forms.
Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball with a few gentle kneading motions.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Flour the work surface again, transfer the dough onto it, and gently deflate it with a few light punches.
Roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring 30×40 cm.
Place the dough rectangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and transfer it to the freezer for 45-60 minutes until it’s almost frozen.
15 minutes before removing the dough from the freezer, take the butter out of the refrigerator to slightly soften.
Place parchment paper on the work surface, put the butter on it, and cover it with another sheet of parchment paper. Beat the butter lightly with a rolling pin to soften it and roll it out between the parchment papers into a rectangle measuring 18×30 cm.
Flour the work surface again, take the dough out of the freezer, and place it with its longer side parallel to you. Place the butter rectangle in the center of the dough.
Fold the dough wings over the butter and meet them precisely at the center of the butter rectangle.
Seal the edges of the dough together to encase the butter and dough completely.
Roll out the dough into a long strip measuring 20 cm wide and about 1 cm thick.
Fold the dough into quarters: fold the lower quarter of the dough toward the center line, then fold the upper quarter over it.
Seal the edges of the dough together with presses using a rolling pin, creating a folded dough with 4 layers.
Fold the dough into thirds: fold the lower third of the dough over the middle third, then fold the upper third over it.
Roll out the dough into a long strip measuring 20 cm wide and about 1 cm thick.
Fold the lower third of the dough over the middle third, then fold the upper third over it. You should have a folded dough with 3 layers.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for an hour, then transfer it to the refrigerator for half an hour. At this stage, the dough is ready for rolling out and shaping.
If you intend to freeze it for future use, slightly roll out the dough before freezing, wrap it tightly in cling film, and thaw it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours before use.
