Saburani – impress your guests with the incredible taste of this pie

Instructions

1. I get all the ingredients ready for making Saburani. The butter and vegetable oil will be used for greasing the layers.

   

2. I put together the cheese assortment. In terms of quantity, the larger share is Adyghe cheese and brinza. The other kinds may vary in weight – the main thing is that the total mass is not less than 500 grams.

   

3. I salt the eggs, add the water and stir until fully combined.

   

4. I sift all the flour into a separate deep bowl.

   

5. I make a small well and pour in the egg mixture.

   

6. I stir the mixture until all the moisture is absorbed and lumps form.

   

7. I turn them out onto the table and knead a stiff dough. It is not easy to knead – it is very dense and tough, much like dumpling dough. But after 5–6 minutes the dough becomes smooth and uniform. I gather it into a ball.

   

8. I place the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap so the gluten relaxes. I leave it like this for about 15 minutes.

   

9. I grate all the kinds of cheese on a coarse grater. Brinza can be crumbled by hand. I mix them and taste for salt – the filling should be slightly salty, so if needed I add salt and cover it with a towel so it does not dry out.

   

10. I melt the butter, then mix it with the vegetable oil and set it aside for now.

    

11. By this time the dough has rested and become softer. I roll it into a log and divide it into 13 equal portions, about 34 grams each.

    

12. I join two portions together and round all the pieces. In the end I get 11 small balls and 1 large one. I cover them with plastic wrap.

    

13. I roll out the pieces very thinly, until they are transparent, dusting them with flour on both sides. The diameter should be a little larger than the mould or the same.

    

14. I fold the circles envelope-style, sprinkling each fold with flour so the dough does not stick together.

    

15. I lay the envelopes on top of one another, overlapping them.

    

16. I roll out the largest ball last – this will be the base of the pie. It does not need to be folded – it will be boiled first.

    

17. I grease the mould or line it with siliconised parchment. I put a large pot of water (4 litres) on maximum heat. I add a teaspoon of salt. I prepare a wide bowl of iced water and several towels.

    

18. As soon as the water boils, I lower the large rolled-out sheet into it. I boil it for 20 seconds.

    

19. I lift it out with a slotted spoon.

    

20. I immediately plunge it into the iced water.

    

21. After 20 seconds I take the sheet out by hand, lay it on a towel and blot it dry.

    

22. I transfer it to the mould and arrange it so the edges cover the sides. The folds that form are welcome in this pie.

    

23. In the same way I boil a small circle and lay it in the mould, distributing the gathers randomly.

    

24. I brush each layer with the oil.

    

25. And I add the cheese filling. If there is not enough cheese for the last couple of sheets, I leave them empty and simply grease them with oil.

    

26. I tuck the edges of the last sheet inside the pie and brush it well with the remaining oil.

    

27. I put the mould into an oven preheated to 180 degrees. If possible, I turn on top and bottom heat with convection. The baking time depends on the oven, but you can go by the top crust – once it turns golden, the pie is ready, since all the layers were pre-boiled and the cheese is already done. The approximate baking time for Saburani is 20 minutes.

    

28. I let the pie cool slightly. The golden, wavy crust is infused with a creamy flavour. Saburani comes out of the mould easily and is cut into portions; the layers are clearly visible and the filling stretches. An incredibly tender, delicious and hearty Caucasian pie is waiting for its admirers.

    

Tips

• 1

  BOILING THE LAYERS is the "secret" of Saburani. Raw dough would stick together during baking. Each circle is boiled for 20 seconds plus an ice shock – the layers stay separate.

• 2

  LIFTING FROM THE WATER INTO ICE is the "secret" against sticking. Without the ice bath the boiled dough would keep cooking. The cold shock stops the process.

• 3

  4–5 KINDS OF CHEESE is the "secret" of the flavour. A single cheese is "ordinary". An assortment with the obligatory Adyghe cheese and brinza gives a complex Caucasian taste.

• 4

  OIL BETWEEN THE LAYERS is the "secret" of the flaky structure. Dry layers would glue together during baking. Layers brushed with the butter-and-oil mixture stay separate, as in baklava. The same principle works in other kinds of Caucasian cheese pies.

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