
INDIVIDUAL CHEESE PIES WITH HOMEMADE KOUROU DOUGH: TIROPITAKIA KOUROU
Yield:
16 cheese pies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt (strained yogurt)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 2 cups crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- about 1/4 cup finely chopped mint
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup yogurt
Instructions
- For the egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water
- sesame seeds for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 160 degrees Celsius.
- To make the dough combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk well to combine.
- In another large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, yogurt, and egg. Whisk well to incorporate all the ingredients.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and keep whisking until the mixture thickens.
- Mix the rest of the flour in using your hands, Do not over mix or the dough will become tough.
- Set aside to rest 5-10 minutes covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- To make the filling, combine the feta cheese, mozzarella, yogurt, and the beaten egg. Mix well and add ground pepper. Mix in the fresh mint and dried oregano to combine.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and prepare the egg wash by whisking together the egg yolk with the water until smooth.
- Cut the dough into two equal portions. Cut each portion into 8 pieces.
- Roll each portion out into a ball.
- Gently roll out each ball into a 5 inch round circle. You can do this using your fingertips to press the dough gently out into a circle. Use a rolling pin if you prefer doing it that way but do not add any flour to the dough otherwise it will become dry and tough.
- Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture onto the rolled out circles and fold over.
- Gently press the edges together to seal.
- Place the pies onto a baking sheet. 8 on each tray.
- Use a fork to press down the edges to create a decorative design.
- Brush the tops of the pies with the egg was and spring some sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
- Halfway through baking, rotate the trays. Place the bottom tray on the top rack and the top tray on the bottom for even baking.
- Serve warm.
- Enjoy!
Please send me the recipe for Tiropita. It was very simple using 3 types of cheese.