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This Placinte Recipe comes from a Moldavian woman who shared the recipe with my mom years back. Placinte are round cheese-filled fried pastries.
My mother has made these so many times and they’ve even got requested! There is no yeast involved so rising time is not needed. Fill this with apples, cabbage or other soft cheeses.The feta and Mozzarella filling is my favorite and if your concerned about the saltiness, I have a little tip down below in how to mellow out the salt from feta cheese. These are a favorite!
What is Placinte?
Placinte is a round flat bread that is commonly stuffed with cheese. It is typically leavened with baking soda or baking powder and contains no yeast. It is recognized in the Romanian, Ukrainian and Moldovan Culture.
What is Brinza?
My family used to call these Brinza, but after a Moldavian friend told me Brinza means Feta Cheese, that changed in how I call these now. Placinte would be the correct named for these cheese-filled cakes.
Whats the best way to re-heat placinte?
Placinte are best fresh. However, to maintain a crisp crust re-heat in a toaster oven for the best results.
How to make Feta Cheese Less Saltier:
Remove feta cheese from the brine and soak in milk for24 hours.
Placinta Fillings:
- apples
- cheese
- cabbage
- potatoes
- ricotta
- dill
- raisins
- Chocolate
Ingredients for Placinte Recipe:
How to make Placinte Recipe (Moldavian Brinza):
1. Ina large bowl, whisk together3 1/2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Then stir in the egg, buttermilk, milk and 3 tbsp of oil until dough comes together (dough should be tacky.) Knead in remaining 1/2 cup of flour until a soft dough forms.
2. Next, divide the dough into 8 balls, using a 1/2 cup measuring scoop for even shapes.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece ofdough to a 9″ circle. Place 1 cup of the cheese blend in the center and fold in the edges, pinching them to the top. Gently roll out again to an 8″ circle and fry over med-low heat until golden (about 2 min on each side.)
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Placinte Recipe (Brinza)
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 cakes
Author: Alyona's Cooking
This Placinte Recipe comes from a Moldavian woman who shared the recipe with my mom years back. Placinte are round cheese-filled fried pastries.
US Customary - Metric
Ingredients
Placinte dough:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/2 cup canola oil or any oil for frying
Placinte Cheese Filling:
3 cups feta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese finely shredded
Instructions
How to make Placinta:
In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the egg, buttermilk, milk, and 3 tbsp of oil until dough comes together. Knead in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour gradually until a soft dough forms.
Divide the dough into 8 balls, using a 1/2 cup measuring scoop for even shapes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to a 9" circle. Place 1 cup of the cheese blend in the center and fold in the edges, pinching them to the top. Gently roll out again to an 8" circle and fry over med-low heat until golden (about 2 min on each side.)
Nutrition per serving
Serving: 1cakeCalories: 675kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 23gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 1238mgPotassium: 274mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 555IUCalcium: 527mgIron: 3.5mg
Other European Recipes to try:
- Cabbage Belyashi
- Fried Piroshki Recipe
- Vareniki Dough Recipe (Blueberry or Cheese Filling)
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Categories
- Main Dish
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20 comments
- Liz Z
These were delicious but mine were huge by the time I finished cooking them. They rose up a lot but the taste was still beautiful.
Thamk you- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
Oh wonderful, Liz!
- Reply
- Olga
I didn’t have brinza so I made these with potatoes. They turned out so good. Just like mamas. Definitely trying them with brinza soon.
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
That’s wonderful, Olga!
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
Hi David, it looks like someone copy and pasted my recipe, thanks for pointing that out.
- Reply
- Ali
Hi, can I make this recipe the same way except bake them in the oven? Will they still turn out as great? If yes, should I use more oil? I’ve done this recipe before by stovetop, and I really loved them! The taste was amazing, but I want to try them in the oven this time.
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
Hi Ali,
Not so sure how the oven will work for these. I definitely think oil is key to create a nice crust for placinte so even if you would use the oven try to use a good amount of oil (perhaps enough to coat the pan and top.) It’s good to know you really loved them!- Reply
- Nelson Franks
Just wanted to say that I love Moldova. I had the pleasure of spending almost a week in Chisinau last May, and I am looking to make a return visit to explore more. Lovely country, lovely people (and really fine wine). And the placinta is amazing.
- Reply
- Olga
Is feta cheese the same as Brinza?
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
I believe it is the name for feta cheese in Moldavian.
- Reply
- Catia marin
Brinza is the translation for cheese In general not specific on which type..placinta is also made with potato filling and cabbage filling both equally as tasty..enjoy.. pofta buna
- Reply
- Liliya s
Do you think it’s ok to make several batches and then freeze them? The purpose would be to defrost and fry as needed… wondering if you’ve tried it before?
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
Liliya, I havn’t froze the brinza filled. But, Perhaps partially frying and then freezing would be a better idea and then re-heating in a toaster oven. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to fry thawed out dough, it’s best to avoid any possibility of sogginess or freezer burn. But that’s just my opinion if you have the urge try it out then let me know if it was a success. You could always refrigerate ready ones between wax paper if you don’t end up freezing any.
- Reply
- Tanya
Can I use homemade kefir instead of buttermilk? Is that the same thing?
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
You can try homemade kefir/buttermilk but you may need to eyeball the consistency since some kefir’s tend to be thick and others runnier.
- Reply
- Elisabeth
Do you think I could make the dough a couple days ahead and refrigerate?
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
Yes, you can refrigerate the dough. You can even try to fill and roll these out and keep them refrigerated between wax paper before frying if your cheese filling isn’t too wet.
- Reply
- Elisabeth
Thanks, that sounds great.
- Reply
- Helen
Comfort food!!! These turned out soft and delicious! They were gone quickly with tea and raspberry jam. Thank you for the recipe.
- Reply
- Alyona Demyanchuk
oh nice, thank you for sharing Helen!
- Reply
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