Strifti Tyropita (Cheese Boureki)
Mar 27th, 2008 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Baking, Cheese, Greek, How To, Phyllo, Vegetarian)
Anyone remember my Spanakopita? Today I present to you the cheese version of Greek pita. Once again, with the immense patience of my mom, I was able to pull off making this coiled, cheese pie.
This coiled cheese pie is called Strifti in much of Greece and in northern Greece we call it Boureki. The word boureki is derived from the Turkish word “burek”, meaning bread. What the Cretans call Boureki is far different from what I’m about to show you now.
Once again, homemade phyllo is made, rolled and filled to make a coiled cheese pie that’s slightly crunchy on the top and bottom and soft and flaky on the sides. The filling is creamy, with feta, eggs and myzithra (ricotta).
I will make the claim that most households enjoy this type of pita from a Tyropitathiko or they buy a frozen, ready to bake version of this from the supermarket.
Sadly, the art of making your phyllo is a dying art. There are many good quality phyllos out there for purchase but none will give you the look, texture or eating satisfaction that you’ll have when biting into one of these.
My apprenticeship in phyllo making will continue. The filling possibilities are endless and I haven’t even touched upon phyllo use with desserts. Anyone interested in a Baklava with homemade phyllo? Patience please.
Strifti Tyropita (Cheese Boureki)
Phyllo
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups of water
1 heaping Tbsp. salt
1/8 cup of white vinegar
4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
17 inch round baking tray
Cheese Filling
1/2 kg. crumbled feta
800gr. myzithra (ricotta)
4 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
- In your stand mixer (with the hook), add all of the phyllo ingredients into the bowl and start to mix on low for a couple of minutes or so, until a wet, firm ball forms and it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
- Take your dough out of the bowl and add some bench flour to your work surface. Start kneading the dough with your palm in a backward/forwards motion. Gradually add 1/2 cup of flour to your dough ball during the kneading.
- Dissect your dough in half and then divide into ten pieces. Knead each of the ten pieces into small balls, dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- Now roll out each dough ball into flat, pancake sizes (sprinkle more flour on work surface).
- Cover the dough pancakes with plastic wrap and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.
- Roll out the edges of each dough pancake and then using your knuckles underneath the dough, stretch the dough carefully and with a spreading out motion of your arms.
- Drizzle with vegetable oil, fold in half and drizzle the ends and the surface area.
- Spread 3 heaping Tbsp. of cheese filling across the dough length.
- Roll up the dough (like a cigar) to seal in the filling.
- Start forming a coil from the inner most part of the pan. Repeat until the round pan is filled with coils.
- Brush the top with oil and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.
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© 2008, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
Wow, this is amazing. It looks so incredible and your directions sound fairly easy. I am very very tempted to try this!
Yummy, cheese, cheese, wonderful cheese! You think your dough would make a good pizza?
Absolutely gorgeous Peter. You never cease to amaze me. Great job!
Simply amazing! Bravo to you and your mother!!
Tremendous! Did I already leave a comment?! Well, this recipe deserves TWO!!! Bravo!
Very impressive! I love the pictures of the whole process. Thanks for sharing!
Mmm, boureki is another one of my favorites. This looks wonderful, Peter.
I would need a lot of patience and time to do this, Your results are outstanding!One day I will attempt such a feat.
That looks so good!! Strifti Tyropita has been on my to try list for a while now. Once again, great job on the home made phyllo dough! I am looking forward to your baklava post!
I have seen this only once – in Washington, about 20 minutes south of Yakima (where all the hops for North America are grown) there is a Greek Orthodox bakery, just nestled in the woods. Next time I’m heading that way I am going to pick some up.
gosh how gorgeous does this look? it’s 9:23 AM and i sooo want this with coffee…shall i dip? ;)
Would you look at that? If I can make puff pastry, I can make this, too. It will take me sometime to master it, but it looks very rewarding when it comes out of the oven. Oh yeah!
Great pictures, Peter.
Sara, it’s not easy but I’d love to see you take a stab at it.
Erik, I don’t see why not but the crust would be thin, I reckon.
Laurie, thank you…you do Greek better than many Greeks, so there!
Sam, the mom is a talent and I’m just lucky to have grown up around great food.
Christine, if we lived closer I’d make one for your wedding rehearsal party!
Elly, glad your family calls it Boureki too.
Glam, I just had to nail the boureki down.
Kevin, you’ve pumped out many Greek recipes in the past, if anyone can – you can.
Heather, a boureki is such a simple delight…phyllo and cheese!
Mocha, welcome and thank you for your kind words. It’s 9:38PM and I want to be in Hong Kong!
Just fabulous. I bought something very similar to this on the street in Athens and loved it!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
well done, Pete, you’ve done it again. I am amazed at you for taking these difficult methods and recipes so head-on.!
Peter – you are a (phyllo-making) machine! This looks awesome.
Wonderful effort Peter! The way you manage that phyllo is fantastic. I’ve had this a few times before in Greece and yours look equally good or even better! Cheers.
This looks seriously awesome. Wow. It requires some skills i’m sure but it’s worth it. Incredible.
Your Mom has taught you wonderful things! That phyllo looks perfect with every crispy layer I see. Its a thing of beauty!!
We ate mini versions of these in Greece and they were to die for. I’m so excited that you have posted about them. Have a great weekend ;)
Excellent job Peter. You have mastered this art well.
Holy Cheesy Deliciousness!!! This looks SO freaking awesome, Peter. I can’t even stand it. I think I might even cry.
Oh. My. God. My most favourite Greek food of all… Do you take orders? Please?
such commitment! i’ll bet it tastes amazing and is completely worth all the time and energy involved. makes me wish i wasn’t so lazy. :)
my god! i’m in the middle of making a strifti spanakopita!!!!
bureki in vreteis also made using phyllo on the top of the boureki pie i make at home. i omit it becasue husband’s mama omitted it too, threfore, it’s not within his taste range… but it’s delicious with the pastry on top, too.
I truly am impressed and bow down to you. Homemade phyllo!!! I can only dream…and head out to the store to buy some. At least I can do the filling.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow, that’s pretty amazing. Phyllo scares me me, we don’t get on well, so I think I’ll never be brave enough to try and make my own if I can’t even handle the shop bought stuff properly.
Kalyn, unfortunately most of what’s out there is not with hand made phyllo.
Nina, I’m just trying to keep this craft alive.
Pysch, machine sounds so sterile…how about “guru”? lol
Pete, Greeks can be proud of phyllo being in our cuisine.
Zen, if you try this compared to the mass-produced phyllo, only then can you taste the difference.
Marie, ain’t it perty?
Randi, thanks doll…enjoy your weekend too!
Ivy, thanks but I still have a way to go.
Nikki, NO don’t cry…here have a piece (I bet you cried as a lil’ girl to get your way, didn’t ya)?
Forkful, the delivery cost could make it a steep price per piece!
Ruth, thanks for dropping by and food is about sharing.
Ahh sylvie…I’ll do a “handling phyllo” post one day, k?
That’s pure talent, Peter. I wish I can make that someday, too!
Pete, honestly, amazing work. Where do you find the time and patience for sucha a lovely dish? Looking forward to your baklava.
Peter, if it wasn’t for the fact you actually posted this before I posted mine, I would think you’d done this to challenge my new role as an intrepid baker ;)
It looks amazing… I never even thought that phyllo was something that ‘normal’ people could make!
Btw, the ad on the bottom of your page says I can “Meet Sexy Greeks HERE!”
The offer is still open for your mom to adopt me Peter:D At the cooking school we made something similar but with eggplant and Greek cheeses..melitzanopita…delicious too.
Incredible Peter-I can’t believe you make your own Phyllo!!! Can you give me a name of a place up there that I can get this so that when I am there I can taste some…anything sold at the St. Lawrence Market? I will definitely be there.
Wow Peter this looks great :-)
A.Grace, homemade is totally worth it.
Maria, your pita-man in Cete is amazing!
Patricia, it was patience and stubborness!
Pixie, what can I say…I luv food.
Kittie, you are intrepid indeed but I wanna know, do you cook in those boots?
Val, my mom would love a daughter.;)
Judy, nothing like this at St. Lawrence, the closest thing to this is Athens Bakery on the Danforth.
Cooking in da city, thank you!
I’m in awe. You are a master, as the simplest of ingredients become a masterpiece.
I’m so impressed by this and wish I could have some. wow!
the art of making filo is not a dying one at all, peter – you know i’ve proved that…
http://organicallycooked.blogspot.com/2008/03/filo-pastry-phyllo.html
This is a work of Art, Peter! I don’t think I had the patience… plus the stuffing is not one of my favourites ;-)
Wow Peter! Just wow! You’ve outdone yourself here. One of these days, I will have to try making my own phyllo. In the meantime, I will drool over your successful efforts.
ΑΜΑÎ! what is this today? I came during my lunch time, having here only a salad, and I am having a hard time concentrating. You know what I mean, ligoura!!!!
I am “commentless” Peter! Look at this post! I am truely impressed!
When are we all invited over?
I love the first photo showing that bubble that was. I can see the crunch of the dough!
Have a great weekend!
Yes I remember your Spanakopita,I will made this weekend for a birthday party brunch, and when I post the recipe I surely said what a wonderful recipe you made- Wow This bureka looks fabulous, but you work hard .Nice job , Peter
Lori Lynn, you’re too kind…remember this was made with my mom overlooking it all.
Maryann, I would make one in honour of your bookmarking talents! ;)
Maria, it’s alive but it needs boost.
Nuria, you don’t eat any cheese so…more for us!
Lisa, please do try it and I’m nearby for coaching.
Despoina…LOL…I take it you liked this post?
Deb, you’re invited when the warmer weather arrives. Don’t want to scare any of you bermuda-shorts types!
Sylvia, I can’t wait to see the finished result and you have the capability of making it.
Cheese and pastry? It doesn’t get any better than this. i think I had something similar in Greece, too.
Nice work. I am considering moving to Toronto so you can share some with me. Maybe an exchange for cookies?
Wonderfully done! It looks so crispy and rich. I would LOVE to see baklava with homemade phyllo — bring it on!
That looks amazingly cool to make! My next challenge!! lol
Wow, you do have patience that’s for sure. Good thing it turned out or you might have been really bummed! You continue to amaze me :)
Ditto to everything all ready said. Amazing!
No. 1 – that board you’re working on is totally awesome and I want one.
No. 2 – This is a larger version of something I fell in love with in the middle east – bourekas they called it – it’s the same – I would kill for this.
No. 3 – thank you, thank you, thank you – now I’ll know how to make them .
Peter, this is marvelous! I am so impressed! What would we do without our moms to teach us these things?
Aimee, you more than likely would have had something like this in Greece. These are eaten as snacks, part of brekkie or apps.
Allen, be patient…more “WOW” factor.
Jessy, you are an “alpha cook” aren’t you?
Lori, remember I had the mom overlording, er I mean overlooking the process, so that nothing would go wrong.
Giz, that board was brought back from Greece, it’s a large oval wood surface with a handle, haven’t seen one on this side of the Atlantic.
Sticky, we’d be eating processed foods, that’s what!
I’m duly impressed!
But, for me, this falls into the ‘Don’t try this at home’ category…
I’ll come to your house, instead….
I bow down to your phyllo making! Loved the step-by-step photos, just what I need to make something like this confidently! But don’t let that go to your head, Peter!
holy shit, peter. this is GORGEOUS. I mean, I need to have some of this. I wish I could dive into that picture and rip off a piece! Well done.
anyways, i’m going to go now and wipe the spit that ended up on my comp. keys. And yes, it really is sad about the art of phyllo making. Just like many other old traditions, it’s just to easy to get it prepared another way nowadays.
amy @ http://www.weareneverfull.com
Wow. Another amazing recipe. I do so much searching for authentic recipes from a variety of cuisines, and rarely find a site with the quality of yours. Your writing is excellent, your recipes are excellent, and the photography is wonderful. How, how, how did you get that dough so thin? I know you said your mom was on consult, but still. I am beyond inspired!
By the way, couldn’t let this post pass without saying: VERY impressed. Looks wonderful.
that’s so impressive! i can’t even bring myself to make regular bread!
it takes so much patience to make phyllo. your mum is a star.
In my family in limnos they make almost the same thing, but in the summer they also put zuccini and mint in it… I tried to make something like this with freezed filo from the turkish shops here in holland, but the homemade filo in greece tastes so much different, its not the same at all. When i move to a house with a bigger kitchen im definitely gonna try to make your recipe! thanks
Oh my word, that just simply awesome!
What a wonderful blog you have, I so enjoy coming by, and I’m always delighted w/your posts. ;-)
Peter,
I am so glad I found your blog! I am originally from your neighbor to the north, Serbia, and am now living in Texas. I remember watching my grandmother make the dough at the kitchen table and have never attempted it myself until last weekend. It was easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Dragana.
Hi Peter, I’ve been searching the net to find how to make cheese boureki. My husband being Greek, has decided to have a Greek Christmas, you know the whole lamb on a spit etc, and I am making his favorite, Pastitso and wanted to suprise him with making Cheese Boureki and a few other thing, to remind him of his mother that past away a good number of years ago a mth before Christmas bless her, she made the best cheese boureki and not one of the family learnt how to make it hmmm I think thats sad, but away, but my books don’t tell me how to make this, soooooo until I found you! out of about 25 sites don’t make it like my mother in-law, and Bless you and your family for Christmas and for this wonderful post for me to make, as it looks like my mother in-laws!!! Yeah printing now!!!!!!!
and not to mention adding you to my blog roll, once again thanks Peter.
Hugs
Kirstie Nicolaidis
My Thea Soula makes boureki with homemade phyllo, and I can never help but snatch an extra piece (or two or three) from the dinner table, especially the cold dregs as we pack away leftovers. Nothing quite matches the texture or bite of homemade phyllo.
Nicely-done, Peter!
WOW! You did it again! Everything you create is amazing! Glad you shared this one, I just wish I could have a taste!
Wow Id love to eat this but never in my lifetime will I bother to make it LOL
I spent the summer in Bosnia a few years ago, and fell in love with a pastry called “sirnica” (and its spinach cousin zeljanica). I have been searching for a recipe for it ever since – with no luck. But then today, I saw your post on pies and knew that I’d found what I was looking for. Thank you, thank you. Now I just need to master making phyllo…hopefully it’s not as hard as it looks. :)