Birthday celebrations, special occasions, and get-togethers in the Balkans are not complete without baked goods or pastries of some kind. Even the most humble of households will always welcome guests with something homemade; there’s a recipe for every budget. Enter Kiflice.
One of my favorite baked treats that you’ll often find at gatherings is Kiflice, a croissant-shaped bread filled with either savory or sweet fillings, or sometimes served plain. The most popular fillings include cheese, ham and cheese, jam, or hazelnut spread (Nutella or Eurocrem). I even like to bake these plain, cut them in half, and fill with Ruska Salata!
I prefer my Kiflice with cheese (traditionally feta) although, in the USA, some Balkan stores and bakeries have started making them with cream cheese or cottage cheese. Personally, I think the feta tastes much better with this kind of dough, but I can understand the economical reasons for substituting cream cheese.
The dough is made with eggs and milk, differentiating it from traditional bread dough. It almost takes on a brioche appearance and has a yellow tint from the beautiful egg yolks.
A kid favorite, this versatile dough can be filled with anything you’d like. If filling with something savory, I love to brush on some beaten egg yolk over the top to give them a nice golden color. Just before putting them in the oven, I like to sprinkle on some sesame seeds.
I hope you give these a try. I make Kiflice on weekends at least once a month, whether I’m entertaining guests or not. And when I do have guests, these are the first to disappear from the table.
Kiflice Sa Sirom/ Feta Cheese Cresent Rolls
Course: AppetizersCuisine: Serbian, Balkan80
Kiflice45
minutes40
minutesIngredients
1 tbsp (8.5 g) yeast
2 cups (500 ml) milk, warm
4 large eggs
1 tbsp (8.5 g) sugar
1 tbsp (8.5 g) salt
1 1/3 cup (315 ml) oil
8 cups (1 kg) flour + a little more for rolling dough out
Sesame seeds
3 egg yolks, beaten slightly
- Feta Cheese Filling
2 eggs
2 cups (250 g) feta cheese
Salt, to taste
Directions
- In a large mug pour in enough of the warm milk to fill the mug 3/4 of the way. Add in the yeast and sugar. Stir and cover with plastic wrap. Then set aside until nice and foamy ( around 10 minutes).
- While the yeast is proofing, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, and add in all of the oil. Whisk the eggs and oil together until all one color and thick. When the yeast has proofed, add to the eggs, as well as the remaining milk and the salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the dough begins to thicken, remove the wooden spoon and begin to knead with your hands. Continue to add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl and is compact (see photo in the slideshow below).
- Once the dough is nice and compact, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for around 30 minutes, or until almost double in size (see note below).
- When the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and form into an even log shape (see photo in the slideshow below). Cut the log of dough into 5 equal pieces.
- Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, dust with a little flour and roll out into a circle until very thin but not tearing. Cover the remaining dough pieces with plastic wrap so they do not dry out while you are working each piece of dough.
- At this time, pre-heat oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a knife (or pizza cutter), cut each circle into 4 pieces (like a pizza) and then each piece into 2 pieces. You should end up with 16 triangles. 16 pieces will yield smaller rolls (80 total). If you would like bigger ones, decrease the number of times you cut the dough. So for bigger Kiflice, cut the dough into 4 pieces instead of 16 (20 total). Or, as I do, mix and match.
- For the feta cheese filling, combine all ingredients and stir well, breaking up the feta into small pieces. If you plan to do all the Kiflice with this filling, you will need to double (or triple) this filling recipe. If not using the feta, fill each with your filling of choice.
- Roll each triangle from the outside in, until you have a croissant shaped roll. Continue this process until you have rolled all 16 croissant rolls. Transfer them carefully to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let them rise for 20-30 minutes.
- When the crescents have slightly risen, brush each roll with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
- Bake at 350 F (175 C) until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a serving dish/basket. Cover with a tea towel until cool to prevent them from turning hard.
- Continue this process with each of the 4 remaining dough pieces.
- Store leftover Kiflice in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for freshness.
Notes
- When proofing my yeast and rising my dough, I like to use the microwave or oven (both turned off). This provides a warm place with no drafts and helps the dough or yeast rise much faster than just on the countertop.
- If you are filling them with Nutella or jam, or any other sweet filling, I recommend leaving off the sesame seeds. This way, you can tell which is which when they’re baked, and sesame seeds are usually used only for savory fillings.
- The serving size says 80 total Kiflice. This is if you cut each of the 5 dough balls into 16 triangles. If you don’t need this many, cut each rolled out circle of dough into fewer pieces. You will get slightly larger Kiflice.
I hope you give these a try! I know this recipe is a little bit more intense, but trust me, it’s totally worth it. Use the hashtag #thebalkanhostess if you make them. I would love to see your creation! Also, feel free to DM on Instagram with any questions during the process http://www.instagram.com/thebalkanhostess
Hvala na odlucnom receptu. Jasno i detaljno napisano. Mala primedba: temperatura za oecenje izrazena u Celxijusima je previsoka. Mozda je stamparska greska.
Hvala Zorice, temperatura je popravljena š
Hello! What kind of yeast do you use?
Hello Natasa,
I use instant dry yeast for almost all of my recipes. Sometimes I use fresh but only when I happen to have it.
– Nevena
Zdravo zdravo š
Made these kifle a couple nights ago(great BTW) and was wondering how long they will last in the fridge?
Hello,
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! I don’t keep them in the fridge if I’m honest, I keep them on the kitchen counter in a plastic bag or an airtight container. They never last more than a day or 2 around here but in the fridge I’d say 4-5 days would be fine.
Nevena