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+ servings
Three pieces of pie on top of each other.

Phyllo Cheese Pie

Aida
Cheese pie, pita sirnica or cheese burek is a great flaky pie with a rich egg and cheese filling.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Servings 6
Calories 614 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Filling:

  • 8 ounces feta cheese
  • 12 ounces farmers cheese or ricotta
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 4-5 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Phyllo and phyllo coating:

  • 1 box phyllo dough 16-18 sheets, about 1 pound
  • 5-6 tablespoons butter
  • 2-3 tablespoons oil vegetable, canola, sunflower or coconut

Topping:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
 

  • Filling: In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients. Whisk until ingredients are completely integrated. Heat oven to 390°F (200°C).  
  • Assembly: Grease a baking pan. Layer one phyllo sheet on the bottom of the pan. Brush a thin layer of (butter and oil) coating over the sheet. Add another sheet of phyllo on top of the first one and repeat the coating. 
  • Grab a generous amount of filling (about 4 tablespoons), and spread evenly over the top sheet. Layer two sheets on top of the filling, coating each before adding the next layer (just like in step two). (If phyllo is larger than the pan, you can fold, crumple or cut it until it fits.) Top with the filling again and spread it evenly. Repeat phyllo, coating and filling layers until you run out ingredients. Make sure the last, top, pie layer has at least 2-3 sheets of phyllo. Brush it with coating last time and put the pan in the oven.
  • Bake 15 min. Rotate the pan and continue baking another 15-20 minutes.  Monitor the pie so it doesn’t blush too much (or burn). If it blushes too much lower the temperature to 360°F (180°C) or cover with foil. 
  • Topping: In a small pan combine milk and butter. Warm up the milk just until the butter melts. Take the cheese pie out of the oven. Using a teaspoon distribute the topping evenly over the pie. Turn the oven off and return the pie inside for a few minutes.
  • Serve 20-30 minutes (an hour is even better!) after baking. Store in a cool place (outside) for up to a day. Transfer to the fridge for up to 2-3 days. (Cover in plastic wrap.) Use your favorite reheating method, or eat cold. Do not freeze.

Video

Notes

Cheese:  ricotta, feta, farmers, queso fresco, goat cheese, cottage, and even gorgonzola work great for this cheese pie recipe. Most soft cheeses are a win (not brie though!). Avoid: hard and semi-hard cheeses like gouda, cheddar, and Edam as they'll melt and burn instead of melt and bake.
Oil: Sub with sunflower, canola or coconut oil, or cooking spray. Or use butter. Avoid: olive oil.
Phyllo dough: Get phyllo dough in sheet form. Avoid: puff pastry and phyllo cups. These products are not the same!
Assembly: Assemble cheese burek just before baking.

Nutrition

Sodium: 1276mgCalcium: 300mgVitamin C: 1mgVitamin A: 1027IUSugar: 5gFiber: 1gPotassium: 210mgCholesterol: 220mgCalories: 614kcalTrans Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 24gFat: 45gProtein: 22gCarbohydrates: 30gIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!