Today I will show you How to make Albanian Byrek.
Preparing the Dough
Even though it might sound very difficult, preparing the dough for pie is very easy. First, take a huge bowl and put the flour, olive oil and salt. If you don’t have a huge bowl, make sure to get one (borrow it from your neighbor or whatever) because you don’t want to miss this one. After mixing the three ingredients above, start adding the water. Depending on the flour, sometimes it might need more than 300 ml, and sometimes it might need less than 300 ml. It depends on how thirsty it is.
After adding the water, you will get a soft, not sticky dough. It should not be hard, but it also should not be sticky.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it aside as we are going to use it for the pie later.
Preparing Filling for Albanian Pie
Next, to prepare the filling, put some olive oil in a pan. As the pan heats up, chop the spinach in a Julienne style. When the oil starts smoking(not cigarettes), put the spinach and cover the pan. After 10 minutes, the spinach will get watery. When you notice that the spinach is smaller in size and watery, add the Ricotta cheese. It would give better results if you try to strain the water from Ricotta first. The filling is ready.
How to make Albanian Byrek
Next, put the butter in a small bowl as we are going to use it for each of the sheets of dough.
Following that, cut the dough in 12 pieces. Start opening the dough in the form of the baking pan that you are going to use. Try to add flour so that the dough does not stick to the roller. The sheet should be as thin as a paper. Add the first sheet in the baking pan and spray it with melted butter.
Don’t put to much butter if you want to keep the calories low. After the sixth sheet, apply the filling. Finish the pie with the next 6 sheets of dough. Do not forget to spray the sheets with butter. When the pie is ready for baking, you can use one egg to give the pie a better color and taste. Use a pastry brush and paint pie surface with a light, even coat of egg wash. When the pie bakes, the egg wash does too, creating a glossy sheen for that professional bake-shop look.
Preheat the oven and bake the pie at 175C(345F) for 40 minutes. Make sure to watch it every 10 minutes, otherwise it might get burnt and you don’t want all the work to go to trash.
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Albanian Pie with Ricotta and Spinach
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gr Flour
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Salt
- 300 ml Water
- 1 Egg
Filling
- 400 gr Spinach
- 250 gr Ricotta
- 100 gr Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
- Even though it might sound very difficult, preparing the dough for pie is very easy. First, take a huge bowl and put the flour, olive oil and salt. If you don’t have a huge bowl, make sure to get one (borrow it from your neighbor or whatever) because you don’t want to miss this one.
- After mixing the three ingredients above, start adding the water. Depending on the flour, sometimes it might need more than 300 ml, and sometimes it might need less than 300 ml. It depends on how thirsty it is.
- After adding the water, you will get a soft, not sticky dough. It should not be hard, but it also should not be sticky.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave it aside as we are going to use it for the pie later.
Preparing Filling for Albanian Pie
- Next, to prepare the filling, put some olive oil in a pan. As the pan heats up, chop the spinach in a Julienne style. When the oil starts smoking(not cigarettes), put the spinach and cover the pan.
- After 10 minutes, the spinach will get watery. When you notice that the spinach is smaller in size and watery, add the Ricotta cheese. It would give better results if you try to strain the water from Ricotta first. The filling is ready.
Final Steps of Albanian Pie
- Next, put the butter in a small bowl as we are going to use it for each of the sheets of dough.
- Following that, cut the dough in 12 pieces. Start opening the dough in the form of the baking pan that you are going to use. Try to add flour so that the dough does not stick to the roller. The sheet should be as thin as a paper.
- Add the first sheet in the baking pan and spray it with melted butter.
- Don’t put to much butter if you want to keep the calories low. After the sixth sheet, apply the filling. Finish the pie with the next 6 sheets of dough. Do not forget to spray the sheets with butter.
- When the pie is ready for baking, you can use one egg to give the pie a better color and taste. Use a pastry brush and paint pie surface with a light, even coat of egg wash. When the pie bakes, the egg wash does too, creating a glossy sheen for that professional bake-shop look.
- Preheat the oven and bake the pie at 175C(345F) for 40 minutes. Make sure to watch it every 10 minutes, otherwise it might get burnt and you don’t want all the work to go to trash.
