Romanian Sweet Cheese Pies – Branzoaice

1. Drain the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve thoroughly for about 3 hours.500 g cottage cheese/ 17.5 oz/ 2 ¼ cups

Yeast dough:

1. Activate yeast: Sieve the flour in a large bowl or in the bowl of your food processor. Make some space in the middle, crumble the fresh yeast, or sprinkle the active dry yeast in there; add 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let rest for about 15-20 minutes until quite frothy.450 g all-purpose flour/ 16 oz/ 3 ¾ cups + 42 g fresh yeast OR 2 tablespoons active dry yeast + 2 tablespoon milk + 1Tbsp sugar
2. Mix: Add the rest of the lukewarm milk, 2 eggs, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, and the salt. Mix well and add the vegetable oil.rest milk + 3 tablespoon sugar + 2 eggs + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3. Knead well with the food processor until the dough is elastic and doesn't stick anymore, but remember that it should be soft. If you knead the dough by hand, you might have to add a little bit of extra flour when kneading, but don't overdo it, the dough should remain soft.
4. Let dough rise: Form a ball and let it rise in an oiled bowl for 1 hour, covered with a clean kitchen cloth and in a warm place. I usually place the bowl in the oven and turn the oven light on. Just the oven light, not the oven itself! The dough should have more than doubled its size by the end of one hour.

Filling:

1. Mix filling: Place the drained cottage cheese into a bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, raisins, and semolina and mix well.cheese + 1 egg + 150 g granulated sugar/ 5.5 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon lemon zest + a pinch of salt + 100 g raisins/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup + 65 g semolina/ 2.5 oz/ ⅓ cup

Shape branzoaice:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Line the baking tray with baking paper.
2. Roll the dough into a large rectangle about 3-4 mm/0.11-0.15 inches thick. Divide it into 16 smaller squares. Divide the filling between the squares, about 1-2 teaspoons into each square.
3. Brush pastries: Beat the egg needed for brushing the pies in a small bowl. Lightly brush the free edges of the pies around the filling.
4. Shape pies: Take two opposite corners of the pastry and press them together in the middle with your fingers. Take the other two opposite corners and press them well with your fingers as well. Press along the lines that are formed as well so that the pastries are closed. Ensure that the pockets are well sealed so that they will not open in the oven.
5. Brush the pastries with the beaten egg all over and bake them for 15-20 minutes or until deeply golden brown.1 small egg
6. Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy warm or cooled.