Dough

Ingredients

620gr flour farina 00

620gr village flour

385gr margarine or vegetable butter

4 eggs

Some mastic

Some mechlep powder

¼ liter of milk

Some water (if is necessary)

1 cup sugar

Method

Mix the flour, butter, mastic, mechlep and sugar well in the mixer.

Then add the eggs.

Finally you slowly add the milk until the dough becomes soft.

If needed you add a bit of water or additional milk.

Cheese Filling

Ingredients

½ kilo of grated cheese especially for these pies (flaounes) or “kefalotiri”

½ kilo grated halloumi cheese

½ punch fresh mint

150gr semolina

2 tea spoons baking powder or 100gr approximately leaven

Eggs (as many as the filling needs, around 8)

100-150gr raisings

50gr sugar

Some mechlep powder

Some mastic powder

Sesame seeds

Method

From the night before, you mix all the ingredients together with only half of the eggs. You add the mint, mechlep and the mastich and the rest of the eggs the next day.

Mix the stuffing (also known as the ‘foko’) again.

In order to make your flaounes, you roll out your dough in even, thin round shapes and you place the stuffing in the center. You then bring the sides of the pastry into the middle of the stuffing making sure that part of the stuffing always remains uncovered.

You brush the flaounes with egg yolk and sprinkle them with some sesame seeds, which is best to have previously boiled, cooled and dried.

You place the flaounes in trays, with wax paper underneath and cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree for about 30-35 minutes depending on the size of your flaounes.

If you have a traditional brick oven make sure it has been preheated. You will then need to remove the charcoal in order for your flaounes to cook with just the heat of the traditional Cypriot oven.