Esfiha Fechada de Queijo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 4-liter mixing bowl
• •Measuring cups and spoons
• •Rolling pin
• •2 rimmed baking trays
• •Parchment paper
• •Pastry brush
• •Clean kitchen towel

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Stir the warm milk, warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Let it sit until the surface looks foamy and alive, about 5 to 10 minutes. If nothing happens, stop there and get fresh yeast. Dead yeast will not become brave in the oven.

   Warm means comfortable on your finger, not hot. Too hot kills the yeast, too cold makes it sluggish, and then you'll blame yourself for a dough that never had a chance.
2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Whisk in the oil, egg, and salt. Add 4 cups of flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms, then knead on a lightly floured counter for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the extra 1/2 cup flour only by the spoonful, just until the dough is smooth, soft, and a little tacky but no longer coating your hands. Too much flour makes a heavy esfiha, and a gente wants tender bread around the cheese, not a doorstop.

   Press the dough with one finger. It should spring back slowly and feel alive. If it tears and feels dry, you added too much flour; knead in a teaspoon of water at a time until it softens.
3. 3

   Let it rise

   Oil the bowl, put the dough back in, turn it once so the surface is lightly coated, and cover with a clean towel. Let it rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. This rest gives the yeast time to fill the dough with tiny bubbles, which is why the baked esfiha comes out soft instead of tight and bready.

4. 4

   Make the filling

   Mix the drained Minas cheese or ricotta with the mozzarella, parsley, grated onion, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Squeeze a spoonful in your hand. It should hold together without dripping. If it feels wet, press it in a clean towel for a minute. Wet filling is the little sabotage that opens your seams in the oven.

   Taste before adding all the salt. Minas, ricotta, and mozzarella vary a lot. The filling should taste slightly more seasoned than you'd eat plain, because the dough softens everything.
5. 5

   Divide and roll

   Punch the risen dough down, then divide it into 24 equal pieces. Keep them covered while you work so the surface doesn't dry out. Roll one piece into a 4-inch circle, thin at the edges and a little thicker in the center, then put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle. Thin edges seal more easily; a slightly thicker center keeps the bottom from tearing under the cheese.

6. 6

   Fold the triangles

   Lift three sides of the dough up around the filling to make a triangle. Pinch from the center out to each corner, then pinch the three corners again, firmly. Look for closed seams with no wet cheese on the edge. Cheese melts and pushes, so a lazy pinch becomes an open esfiha. The oven tells on us.

   If filling gets on the edge, wipe it off with a dry finger before pinching. Dough sticks to dough. Dough slicked with cheese does not listen.
7. 7

   Rest and brush

   Set the esfihas seam side up on parchment-lined baking trays, leaving about 1 inch between them. Cover and rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 200°C (400°F). Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops lightly, avoiding puddles around the seams. The short rest relaxes the dough so it puffs instead of splitting, and the yolk gives that lanchonete gold.

   Use a light hand with the egg wash. A thick puddle can glue the seam badly or brown in patches, and then the top looks tired before the dough is done.
8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until the esfihas are puffed, golden on top, and lightly browned underneath. Let them sit for 5 minutes before eating so the cheese settles instead of running out at the first bite. Warm is perfect. Burning your mouth to prove enthusiasm is unnecessary.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh Minas cheese if you can, and drain it well. If your market only has ricotta, buy the firm whole-milk kind and mix it with mozzarella for melt. That's an honest substitution, not a tragedy.
• •The Tuesday shortcut is fresh bakery pizza dough. It won't have the same soft, slightly sweet lanchonete crumb, but it's real dough and it will make dinner happen. The shortcut I won't hand you is cheese powder or seasoning mix. That's salt and imitation wearing a costume.
• •Pinch harder than you think. Closed esfiha opens for two reasons: wet filling on the seam or dough that wasn't sealed firmly. Neither is fate. Both are fixable.
• •Freeze them shaped and unbaked on a tray until solid, then bag them. Bake from frozen at 200°C (400°F), adding 5 to 7 minutes. A freezer with esfihas in it is a freezer doing useful work.
• •Serve with a simple salad or next to the everyday plate when you need to stretch dinner for extra people. Rice, beans, something green, and a tray of cheese esfihas on the side? Nobody leaves sad.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Stir before using and drain off any liquid that collected.
• •The dough can rise slowly in the fridge overnight after mixing. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before dividing so it rolls without fighting you.
• •Shaped unbaked esfihas freeze for up to 2 months. Freeze on a tray first, then transfer to a bag or container once solid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)