ZELNIK - MY WAY

 
This is my way of making zelnik. The basic recipe was from my mom, but I made a little change and now this is my recipe and I'm not changing it anymore. You can also make the dough from the evening, leave it in the fridge and prepare the zelnik the other day. Filling is optional, I make it mostly with greens and ricotta.



Ingredients:
 
For the dough:
  • 600 g flour
  • about 300 ml lukewarm water
  • 2-3 tablespoons oil
  • 1,5 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • a pinch of sugar
  • a pinch of dry yeast
  • 1 margarine or butter 250 g, softened
Filling:
  • chopped spinach or silverbeet
  • ricotta cheese about 400 g
  • 1-2 eggs
Preparation:

  1. Mix all the ingredients and knead until the dough is smooth, divide it into two balls and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Roll a crust with a thickness of 2-3 cm from the one ball and brush it with a thicker layer of butter or margarine. Fold the crust and coat the upper side with margarine or butter. Fold it again and coat the upper side. Fold it again.
  3. Put the dough in a plastic foil and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour or overnight.
  4. Repeat the procedure with the other ball.
  5. When the dough is finely chilled, roll out a crust slightly larger than the pan in which you'll bake zelnik and put the crust in the oiled pan, apply the filling evenly, then place the other crust. The ends of the two crusts are merged and closed spirally.
  6. Sprinkle with a little water and oil on top and put to bake at 200 C degrees in a heated oven, until it gets a nice golden color.