One of my favorite times of year is when cherries are in season. Last year, we were on a mission to find a farm with sour cherries near us. Luckily, we did find one about an hour away, so we got in the car and went to pick some cherries “for the freezer”. They were sour and perfect for a Pita sa Višnjama i Grizom, one of my husband’s favorites. Layers of phyllo dough, sweet vanilla flavor, and slightly tart sour cherries make this an excellent weekend snack. One of my favorite things about this dish is how quickly it comes together. In under an hour you can have a delicious treat for those unexpected guests.
Traditionally, Griz, or cream of wheat, isn’t used in phyllo roll recipes. However, a couple of years ago I was introduced to the idea of adding it to the egg and yogurt mixture for this dish and I’ve been making it this way ever since. The Griz really makes the phyllo dough hearty and more dough-like which we love. Every time I make this pita it’s gone in a flash. I usually have to double the recipe because everyone in my family loves it.
Frozen sour cherries work best in this recipe, and I’ve seen them at most of my grocery stores. You can even make this with sweet frozen cherries if you’d like, but we prefer the sour cherry.
I hope you decide to give this recipe a try, it makes a wonderful finish to a delicious traditional Balkan meal!
For more recipes like this, check out the Bakery section!
Pita sa Višnjama i Grizom/Sour Cherry Phyllo Rolls
Course: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian4
servings25
minutes40
minutesA traditional recipe with a twist.
Ingredients
1 package (500 g) of phyllo dough sheets (medium thickness)
2 cups (300 g) frozen sour cherries, thawed & drained
3 eggs
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (2 kesice)
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) Kefir yogurt
1/4 cup (60 ml) oil
1/3 cup (65 g) griz (cream of wheat)
Directions
- Preheat over to 350F/175 C. Oil a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- Filling
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and then add Kefir, sugars, oil, and griz. Whisk to incorporate all ingredients together. Set aside.
- Assembly
- Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a flat surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the egg mixture all over the sheet and using a brush spread all over to coat the phyllo sheet. Lay a 2nd sheet of phyllo on top and spread with the mixture again.
- On the long edge of the 2nd phyllo sheet, spread your cherries evenly (see photo above). Then, fold in the sides about 1 inch and carefully roll the phyllo dough and cherries into a log. Transfer the log into the baking dish.
- Repeat the above steps until all of your phyllo sheets and cherries are used up.
- Once all of your phyllo logs have been places into into the baking dish, take the remaining egg and Kefir mixture and pour it over the top of the phyllo logs. It may look like a lot, but the phyllo dough will soak it up.
- Using a spoon, tuck any pieces of phyllo dough into the mixture so everything is nice and coated with the liquid. Let the phyllo logs rest for 5 minutes or so before placing in the oven.
- Bake at 350F/175C for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top and the sides. If the pita is browning too fast on top, cover with a piece of aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- After it’s baked, remove from the oven and enjoy warm or room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar.
Notes
- When baked, cover with aluminum foil and a kitchen towel to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- If you don’t have vanilla sugar, use 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract instead.
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Brilliant…..seems very similar to what my Serbian god-mother use to make…..have no idea if her recipe was similar to yours, but based on your hi-res pics (thank you) I can tell this is the ideal texture for a Serbian cherry strudel – its not dry like other traditional recipes as it seems more doughy (which I LOVE). Thank you for sharing….coming to your from Brisbane, Australia – land of the COVID hysteria lockdowns.
Hello George,
Thanks so much for your kind comment.
Yes, this recipe is most definitely not dry like the traditional version because of the wonderful cream of wheat/griz. While I do love the taste, the smell, while it’s baking, is out of this world.
Lots of love to Australia and stay safe!
– Nevena
hmmm, I made this….twice….something is missing….I mean it was nice, but dry….dry as in according to my own personal tastes….I swear my godmother did this same recipe but it was much ‘wetter’ / syrupy…..I think she may have poured a sugar/water mix at the end (similar to baklava but without the cinnamon or cloves)…..I’m just thinking out aloud, I have no idea to tbh.
Nonethless, I’m going to work it out!!!! 🙂
Hello! This looks amazing, Pita sa Višnijama is my dad’s favorite dessert in the world. I’m making it for him soon and I would love to make this recipe. Would it would with jarred višnije? This is all I have access to.
Hi Jelena,
Thanks for stopping by! If the jarred visnje are in syrup of any kind I would leave out the sugar for sure. If they are just jarred in juice/liquid I would totally follow the recipe and it should work just fine.
– Nevena