Serbian-style gibanica
A rich Serbian cheese pie with crisp phyllo pastry, a juicy milk-and-egg filling, and golden edges.
Ingredients
- phyllo dough500 g
- quark400 g
- feta200 g
- eggs5 pcs
- plain yogurt250 g
- kaymak150 g
- sparkling water150 ml
- sunflower oil80 ml
- salt1 tsp
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Whisk the eggs until smooth.
In another bowl, mash the cottage cheese and feta, add the yogurt, kajmak, sparkling water, 60 ml of sunflower oil and salt; mix into a runny, uneven filling.
Grease the baking dish with the remaining sunflower oil. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo pastry on the bottom, letting them overlap slightly onto the sides.
Crumple the remaining sheets one by one, dip them into the cheese filling, and arrange them loosely in the dish, leaving airy gaps between the folds.
Cover the pie with 2 dry phyllo sheets, tuck the edges inward, pour over the remaining filling, and lightly brush the top with the leftover oil.
Bake for 35–40 minutes at 200°C, then lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the top is evenly golden and the center has set.
Remove the gibanica, let it rest in the dish for 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve warm; top with yogurt if desired.
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