My Family's Flaounes

I posted two weeks ago a story I wrote about my family's tradition of making Flaounes.

See story here

So this our recipe, one which has developed over man years and constantly changes depending on what combination of cheeses we use. You need to start preparation the night before as the cheese mixture needs to rise, then we generally wake at 6am to start the pastry so we can finish the 150 flaounes this recipe makes by mid afternoon.

So here is it......

Cheese Mixture

5 kg grated cheese
- Flaouna Cheese from Paphos Cheese, Annandale (0.5kg)
- Romano (1.5kg)
- Parmesan (1kg)
- Haloumi (1.5kg)
- Cheddar (0.5kg)

1 ½ kg self raising flour
40 eggs
1 packet Mustika ground
1/2 packet Mahelebi
12 tsps baking powder
9 tsps yeast dissolved in lukewarm water which contains 4 tsps sugar
3 Cups fresh mint finely chopped mint
750g Sultanas (optional)


Pastry

4 kg plain flower
2 cups melted butter
2 ½ cups oil (vegetable)
2 ½ cups of cinnamon stick flavour water
6 cups or warm milk
10tsps yeast + 5 tsps sugar dissolved in ½ cup of warm water
1 packet Mustika ground
1/4 packet Mahelebi
Salt

Sesame to coat pastry


Method

1) Mix all the cheeses together. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the cheese mixture ingredients, except the sultanas.
2) Add the wet mixture to the cheeses and combine well. Place in blankets overnight and let it rise.

The bowls need to be in a warm place as it is extremely important they rise. If this means putting them in front of little heaters, then so be it.

We usually mix the cheeses in two bowl to start as there is so much mixture, and then combine them once done, just so they are mixed well and evenly.



The finished cheese before being covered in blankets for the night

THE NEXT MORNING.....for the dough

1) Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let it stand for at least 15 minutes so it really froths up.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (I mix all the wet ingredients in one bowl and all the dry in another then I combine them slowly)

3) Knead until dough springs back, then place baking paper over the top and leave it in a warm place, like near an oven, or in a warm room, until it doubles in size. (Our kitchen was not warm enough to make the dough rise so we put it in bags then filled a bath with hot water and left the bowls there for at least an hour)

4) Let to rise so it has doubled in size. Approx 2hrs.

5) While rising, add 4 eggs to the cheese mixture and combine then let it rise for the same amount of time as the dough.

(If you want to add sultanas, we only add it to half the mixture, coat them in flour then spread through the cheese mixture once it has risen again)

6) Place sesame in a saucepan and bring to boil. Drain and place sesame in a mound on teatowels.
7) Once the dough is risen, knead it again and then roll out balls of pastry to ½ cm thickness.

8) Cut into squares with 15cm sides then slide over sesame to coat the bottom.
10) Place 1 heaped tbsp of cheese mixture into centre of square and fold in corners.

11) Place on pre-greased baking trays and coat in egg wash then fork to make sure edges are pinned down.
12) Bake in a preheated fan forced oven at 175 degrees for approx 25 minutes, or until nice and golden brown (You just need to make sure they cook through and the centre is not raw).

13) Cool on wire racks and serve warm.

Can be frozen and warmed up for later dates.