Recently, I learned how to make pita. The hand-stretched kind that I watched my Bosnian friends’ moms make so effortlessly. And while this wasn’t my first time trying to make it, it was my first time ending up with something that actually looked like pita! In fact, I was pretty darn proud of myself. So after a few rounds of delicious, delicious testing, I think I finally got it down. Is it perfect? Not really. But the recipe works, the end result tastes like the real deal, and I think any of my Bosnian friend’s moms would give a nod of approval. There’s finally a dedicated recipe for Zeljanica on this blog!
Zeljanica and Sirnica are definitely my favorite varieties of Bosanska pita. I wouldn’t be able to pick one over the other; they’re both in first place for me. When I was making this recipe to take photos I actually ended up running out of spinach (don’t worry, I adjusted the amount for you below) and so half of the pita I ended up making was Sirnica 🙂 Perhaps I may just do that from now every time I make pita.
I was always so intimated by the stretching of the dough part. I could just never get it thin like I’ve seen others do it. It tore, it wasn’t soft enough, and it just ended up being so discouraging. It was probably one recipe that I was both intimidated by and that I thought I could never master. But the last few weeks I was on a mission. I was going to figure this out if it killed me. So after a lot of messing up, starting over, and trial and error, I finally found the measurements that worked for me. And I know they will work for you too!
Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. I like Bakers Roses here in the USA, but I hear Aldi flour works very well too! And don’t forget, the amount of water you use may vary slightly based on the humidity and weather in your area. I find that on warmer, more humid days I tend to need less water than on colder days for example. And if I could give you just one piece of advice as you prepare to make this recipe, I would have to say to just have patience. You may not get it right the first time, but if you keep trying (or message me on Instagram so we can figure it out together), you’ll be making tepsije of pita before you know it!
Looking for more baked goods? Check out the Bakery section!
Pita Zeljanica/Spinach & Feta Pita
Course: AppetizersCuisine: Bosnian, Balkan6
servings1
hour40
minutesTraditional Bosnian-style pita enjoyed all across the Balkans!
Ingredients
- Dough
3 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup (400 ml) warm water
1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
3 tablespoons (45 ml) oil
- Filling
2 -10oz packages (~650 g) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 cups (600 g) feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
Salt, to taste
- Also
1 cup (235 ml) yogurt
2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) milk
Directions
- Filling
- Combine the filling ingredients together into a bowl and mix well to combine. Taste for salt and adjust. Set aside
- Grease your baking dish with oil and also set aside.
- Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the dough ingredients. Attach a dough hook and begin kneading on slow speed at first and then speed up to medium. Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes, adding additional flour as needed so the dough begins to pull away from the bowl.
Important note: You should not have to add more than 1-2 tablespoons of flour. The dough should be slightly sticky but should come together into a ball. The temperature and humidity affect how much flour is needed so keep this in mind. The dough should not be firm or hard but very soft, like Playdoh. - When the dough has come together around the dough hook and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl, turn off the mixture and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
- Using your hands, knead the dough until smooth and no longer sticky. Work the dough with your hands into a smooth, soft, ball. Use gentle motions; don’t knead it roughly.
- When the dough is smooth, transfer it to a cutting board, plate, or tray and cover with plastic wrap so it does not dry and form a crust. Leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, sprinkle some flour in the middle of a table covered with a lint-free tablecloth (preferably cotton).
- Place the dough on top of the floured surface and using a rolling pin gently begin to roll it out into a rectangle or circle (rectangle is easier). Roll the dough out until it’s about twice the size as when you started.
- Next, pour 3-4 tablespoons worth of oil on top of the rolled-out piece of dough and using your hands spread the oil across the top and on the sides. Leave the dough to rest again for 20 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, slide your hands under the dough, palms side down, to the center of the dough. Begin to slowly and gently stretch the dough outward one section at a time.
- Note: Look for the Mantije recipe reel on my Instagram page to see the dough stretching technique!
- Once the dough has been stretched as much as possible, gently remove the edges of the dough using your thumbs and index fingers. (Again, see IG reel).
- Spread the spinach and cheese mixture along the edge of the stretched dough in a long line, leaving about 1 inch from the very edge of the dough and the filling. Next, fold that 1 inch of remaining dough over the cheese and using the cloth to assist you, continue rolling the dough around the filling.
Do this by lifting the tablecloth up to encourage the dough to roll into a snake-like shape around the filling. - Allow the dough to roll 2-3 times, then lay the cloth down onto the table again.
- Cut along the inside edge of the now long rope of dough.
- Next, slowly start to lay the rope of dough inside the greased baking pan in a circular pattern, starting in the middle and guiding the dough to wrap around itself.
- Bake at 375 F/190 C for 30-40 minutes until golden brown, then spoon over the yogurt and milk mixture and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
