Feta and Dill Rolls

   

Feta and Dill Rolls 

Makes 16 rolls

These rolls usually can be found among  the traditional Romanian home made breads or rolls. 

They are fairly easy to make.  The recipe is quite forgiving and if you're not fond of cottage cheese, no problem, you can replace cottage cheese with Feta cheese. Last time I did just that and it was very good, only you might want to skip the salt the recipe calls for in the filling as feta is usually salty enough. 

Depending on the type of feta cheese you use, you may want to adjust how much sour cream  to add or you may not have to add any. I found that the Macedonian and also Bulgarian feta are softer and creamier then other type. I personally, like to use the Kirkland Feta from Costco but feel free to use the one you are accustomed to and adjust the recipe to your liking. 

Feta and Dill Rolls Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water, lukewarm

1/2 cup milk, lukewarm

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp yeast

1 egg

3 Tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt

4-1/2—5 cups all purpose flour

 

Filling:

250 gr. Dry cottage cheese

150 gr. Feta, crumbled

1/4 cup sour cream

3-4 Tbsp chopped dill

1/2 tsp salt

oil, for rolling

 

Topping:

1 egg, whisked

2 Tbsp milk

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Add  the lukewarm water and the milk to a bowl; stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside until foamy. This will ensure the yeast is active and working well to make your dough rise.  

Place 4 - 1/2 cups flour into the mixing bowl. 

Whisk together egg, oil and the yeast mixture; add to the flour in the mixing bowl and with the machine on low, let the machine start forming the dough. (If you don't have a mixer, this process can be easily done by hand, only the kneading might take a bit longer). 

 Add the salt and let the machine knead everything into a smooth dough. If the dough is still sticky, add  more flour as needed to obtain a smooth, soft dough but not sticky. These process takes  about 4-5 minutes (5-7 minutes by hand).  Remove to a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes or until almost doubles in size. Here the time really depends on how warm your kitchen is, as on a cold day I left it to rise for over an hour. 

Once dough has doubled in size, punch dough down onto a board and divide dough into 16 parts: form each into a ball and set aside, covered with a plastic wrap. Let rise  for 15 -20 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare the filling.

 

For the filling:

Using a food processor, process cottage cheese, feta, and sour cream until smooth.

Add salt and chopped dill and stir until well mixed together .

To form the rolls, take one  ball at a time, on an oiled board  (leave the rest covered so they don't form a crust) and using your oiled  hands, push and stretch the dough out  into an approximately,  6 inch by 14  inch  piece.

Spread  2 rounded tablespoon of filling on the upper half; fold the lower part over. Press down a bit with your finger then starting at the  folded end, roll it up (like a jelly roll), pinch the ends to seal,  then roll it into a pinwheel.  Repeat with the remaining rolls. Check out a short video on my Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/leiasculinary/  

Place rolls, 1 inch apart on two parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk until frothy. Brush the top of the rolls and bake them at 350F in preheated oven,  for 30-35  minutes or until top golden brown. 

 Enjoy!