Name: Sirnica
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Bosnia
Ingredients: 8-10 phyllo or yufka pastry sheets; 500 g fresh white cheese, crumbled, such as feta or a mild curd cheese; 3 eggs; 150 g sour cream; 100 ml neutral oil or melted butter, for brushing; 2 tbsp sparkling water, optional

Sirnica is the cheese-filled member of Bosnia's pie family, thin pastry rolled and coiled around a filling of fresh cheese, egg and sour cream, baked until the outside turns deeply golden and crisp.

It's standard breakfast food across Bosnia and Herzegovina, usually eaten with a glass of yogurt alongside.

Part of our 20 best Bosnian recipes list.

method

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), and lightly oil a round baking pan.

Mix the crumbled cheese with the eggs and most of the sour cream until well combined; it should be thick but spreadable.

Lay out a sheet of pastry, brush lightly with oil, and spread a thin layer of the cheese filling along one edge.

Roll the sheet loosely around the filling into a long coil, leaving it a little loose rather than tight, so steam can escape as it bakes.

Coil the filled roll into a spiral in the pan, and repeat with the remaining sheets, continuing the spiral outward until the pan is full.

Brush the top generously with oil, and whisk the remaining sour cream with a splash of sparkling water, then drizzle over the top for extra flakiness and color.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Let rest for 10 minutes, covered with a cloth, before slicing.

chef's tips

Rolling the filling loosely rather than tightly is important; a tightly rolled pie traps steam unevenly and can turn soggy in the center.
Resting the baked pie under a cloth for a few minutes before cutting softens the crust just slightly, which actually makes it easier to slice cleanly.