Cheese Pastries
Ingredients: For the dough: - 235 g flour 000 freshly sifted - 150 ml water - 5 g salt - 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar - from grapes) - 45 g butter with 80% fat at room temperature (soft but not melted) portioned into 6 pieces For the filling: - 200 g kneaded butter cheese - the white of an egg (optional, keep a teaspoon of egg white separately in the refrigerator for garnishing) - sesame seeds, poppy seeds (I used sesame seeds)
To create delicious merdenele, you must carefully follow the steps for preparing the dough, which is the base of this savory dish. Start by mixing water and flour in a large bowl, ensuring you achieve a homogeneous mixture. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it sit for 20 minutes to allow the gluten to develop. This will ensure a finer and more elastic texture of the dough. After 20 minutes, sprinkle salt on top and add vinegar, which will bring a note of acidity that will enhance the final taste.
Knead the ingredients by hand for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth and homogeneous. If you feel the dough is too sticky, you can add a little flour. After this stage, shape the dough into a ball. Then, roll it with both hands on the work surface to obtain a cylinder about 18-20 cm long. Use a dough scraper or a knife to cut the cylinder into six equal pieces, covering those waiting with a towel to prevent them from drying out.
Grease the work surface with oil to prevent the dough from sticking. Take a piece of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin until you obtain a rectangle measuring 13 x 17 cm. Evenly spread a portion of butter over the entire surface of the rectangle and fold it in three, so that each long side overlaps. Now, you will have a new rectangle of 13 x 4 cm which you will grease with butter and fold again, this time in four. The result should be a small square with a side of about 4 cm.
Once you have finished with all the pieces of dough, grease a large, flat plate with oil and place the six pieces on the plate, making sure they do not touch. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour and 30 minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the cheese filling by mixing the cheese with an egg white, using a fork to achieve a homogeneous composition. Divide the filling into six equal portions.
When you are almost ready to bake the merdenele, line a large tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to a moderate temperature. Take each piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin until you obtain a square with a side of about 15 cm. Place the filling in the center of the square, orienting it at a 45-degree angle to the dough. Fold the corners of the square dough towards the center, overlapping them, then turn the square with the side that was on the counter facing up and place it in the tray. Continue doing this with all the merdenele, leaving a space of at least 3 cm between them.
For an attractive appearance, mix a teaspoon of water with a teaspoon of egg white and brush each merdenea with this mixture using a pastry brush. You can sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on top for an extra crunch. Bake the merdenele at moderate heat until they turn golden and slightly crispy, giving them that perfect texture that will make them irresistible. Enjoy them warm, alongside a yogurt sauce or simply as they are, for a perfect culinary experience!
