Coiled Banitsa with Pumpkin and Walnuts
The OneNote clip title for this recipe was 'Vita banitsa s tutmanik' (Вита баница с тутманик), but the book recipe header reads 'Coiled banitsa with pumpkin and walnuts' (Вита баница с тиква и орехи) and the ingredients confirm pumpkin and walnuts. Timing icons on the page: 100 min, 8 portions, difficulty 4/5. In the Plovdiv region they called the coiled pumpkin banitsa 'tikvenik' and made it with honey. In the Razlog area they grated the pumpkin, then poured it out and left it to drain; with the drained juice they kneaded the flour and stretched the sheets, which they lightly pre-baked in the oven, leaving only two raw — for the very top and very bottom. On each sheet they then placed grated pumpkin and baked it over a live fire.
⏱️ Prep: 100 min
Ingredients
| 500 g | flour | |
| 4 tbsp | 60 ml | vinegar |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 200 ml | warm water | |
| 500 g | pumpkin | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | walnuts |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | sugar |
| 300 g | butter | |
| 1 | egg yolk | |
| 20 g | powdered sugar |
Instructions
- Work the flour, the vinegar, the salt and the warm water until you obtain a soft dough. Then add to it 125 g melted butter, work it again and leave it to rise briefly.
- Meanwhile prepare the filling. Peel and grate the pumpkin and braise it with 125 g melted butter and 200 ml water in a pan, under a lid, over low heat until it absorbs the water. Then add 3 tbsp sugar. Once the sugar has melted, strain the filling through a sieve to drain off the fat and leave it to drain completely. Then mix it with the crushed walnuts.
- To make the sheets, divide the dough into three parts. On a floured surface stretch each of them into a thin sheet. Brush it with a little melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and place some of the filling on top. Using the cloth, roll the sheet into a roll and place it in a butter-greased tin 20 cm in diameter. Prepare each sheet the same way.
- Brush the coiled rolls with yolk, sprinkle sugar on top and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes, until golden.
- Sprinkle the finished coiled banitsa with water and cover it with a cloth so it softens. Trim it and dust with powdered sugar.