The money shot. Look at those defined, airy layers holding the pockets of melted white cheese. Absolute comfort food.

The money shot. 🔪 Look at those defined, airy layers holding the pockets of melted white cheese. Absolute comfort food.

This sirnica brings the classic taste of a Balkan bakery to the kitchen table, with crisp phyllo layers and a tender savory cheese filling.

Preparation time 40 minutes
Making time 30 minutes
Course Main course, breakfast, snack
Country / Region Balkans

Ingredients

  • 500-600 g white cow's milk cheese in brine, such as Travnički sir
  • ready-made phyllo dough or jufka
  • 200 g sour cream
  • 2 eggs, optional
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • a pinch of salt
  • butter, for heavily greasing the pan
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 20-25 g butter, for the top glaze

Instructions Link to heading

Prepare the moisture mixture Link to heading

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable.
  2. This mixture keeps the phyllo elastic and tender on the inside while it bakes.

Prepare the pan and cheese Link to heading

  1. Generously butter the inside of a cast iron skillet or enameled baking pan.
  2. Do not be shy with the butter, this helps create the crispy golden bottom crust.
  3. Place the cheese in a bowl and gently crumble it with a fork.
  4. Keep it in small, uneven pieces rather than turning it into a smooth paste, so the pita has little pockets of cheese throughout.

Layer, fill, and roll Link to heading

  1. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean wooden board or work surface.
  2. Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture over the sheet and spread it gently.
  3. Scatter a light handful of crumbled cheese along the bottom edge of the sheet.
  4. Do not overfill, less is more here.
  5. Roll the sheet loosely into a long tube.
  6. Place the tube along the outer edge of the buttered skillet, starting to form a spiral.
  7. Continue filling, rolling, and coiling the phyllo tubes into the pan, working from the outside inward, until the skillet is filled.

Glaze and bake Link to heading

  1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
  2. In a small saucepan, gently heat 5 tablespoons of water with 20–25 g butter until the butter melts.
  3. Just before baking, brush or sprinkle this hot buttered water evenly over the top of the raw spiral.
  4. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown.
  5. A little darker color on the ridges is fine, that is where the crunch lives.

Rest and serve Link to heading

  1. Remove the sirnica from the oven and let it rest in the skillet for a few minutes.
  2. Place a large cutting board over the skillet and carefully flip it over.
  3. The sirnica should slide out, revealing the golden bottom crust.
  4. Let it rest for a few more minutes before slicing.
  5. Serve warm.
Sirnica
Prepare the moisture mixture.
Sirnica
Whisk together the sour cream, eggs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable.
Sirnica
Generously butter the inside of a cast iron skillet or enameled baking pan.
Sirnica
Place your cheese into a bowl and gently crumble it with a fork. It should be small, uneven pieces, not a smooth paste, so you get distinct pockets of cheese throughout the pita.
Sirnica
Ready-made phyllo dough (jufka)
Sirnica
Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture over the sheet, spreading it gently.
Sirnica
Scatter a light handful of the crumbled cheese along the bottom edge of the sheet. Crucial rule: Do not overfill! Less is more here.
Sirnica
And so the snake begins. Coiling the filled jufka along the outer edge of the pan to build our spiral step by step.
Sirnica
Place the tube along the outer edge of the buttered skillet, starting to form a spiral.
Sirnica
The spiral is complete. Every layer is tucked in snugly and ready for the final touch.
Sirnica
In a small saucepan, gently heat 5 tablespoons of water with 20–25 g butter until the butter melts.
Sirnica
Crucial step: right before baking, we splash a mixture of melted butter and water over the top. This is the secret to getting that perfect bakery-style puff.
Sirnica
The flip test. Unmolding it reveals a beautifully uniform, crispy bottom crust thanks to the well-buttered cast iron.

Notes Link to heading

The secret to a crispy-yet-tender sirnica is moisture. Each sheet should be gently coated so the pastry layers steam and puff as they bake, instead of drying out.

I used Travnički sir here, but you can also use good-quality Greek feta or Turkish beyaz peynir.

Using a cast iron skillet gives the sirnica a beautiful golden crust on the bottom, while the inside stays tender and savory.

Vesela kuharija 😋👌

Straight out of the oven. Deep golden, crackly ridges, and the incredible aroma of baked cheese filling the kitchen.

Straight out of the oven. Deep golden, crackly ridges, and the incredible aroma of baked cheese filling the kitchen. 🔥