Pull-away cheese rolls
August 13, 2011 • Category: Mezze/Appetizers
There is a delightful tradition in the Middle-East called sobhiyeh, (meaning morning), which means a morning get-together. Our neighbors in the Chouf mountains would often invite us to a sobhiyeh (and we would reciprocate) and this would always entail cups of Turkish coffee being served and lots of pastries (savory and sweet) and of course, lots and lots of banter (and gossip). Usually, only women would be present.
May Bsisu in her The Arab Table, refers to this tradition and how she used to be invited to sobhiyeh in Kuwait with other women; how each one would try to outdo the other by producing a new and delicious pastry.
Mrs. Bsisu came up with the idea of a pull-away cheese roll for one of her sobhiyeh. Here it is, adapted.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1/2 cup of powdered milk
- Dash of salt
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup of oil
- Olive oil, as needed
Cheese Filling ingredients:
- 1 package of halloumi or akkawi cheese or mozzarella (8 ounces)
- 1 package of shredded swiss or any cheese of your choice (8 ounces)
- a few tablespoons of minced herbs such as parsley (optional)
- a few tablespoons of nigella or sesame seeds
METHOD:
- Place the yeast and sugar in a small bowl; stir and add 1/4 cup of warm water; place somewhere warm and let the yeast proof.
- Combine the flours, powdered milk and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Add the proofed yeast mixture, the oil, egg, and the rest of the warm water and mix till the dough becomes compact and not too sticky. Roll the dough in oil, cover and place in a warm place for one hour or so till doubled in size.
- To desalt the haloumi and akkawi cheese, soak in cool water; rinse after 15 minutes and repeat the process three or four times until the saltiness is gone; dry the cheeses and grate. Mix with the other cheese and the herbs and set aside.
- Deflate the dough and shape into ropes; cut each rope into smallish egg-size balls and take each egg and flatten it to enclose one tablespoon of cheese mixture. Fold it well and set aside. Grease a 10 inch pan and place the cheese-filled balls side by side. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds and let the balls rest for 30 minutes.
- Bake in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes until they are pale gold and baked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Comments
24 Comments • Comments Feed
Priyanka says:
Yummy…….!!!!!
Have added to my Must Try list 🙂
On August 13, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Rosa says:
Fabulous! Those must be very addictive.
Cheeers,
Rosa
On August 13, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Lyndsey says:
I would love this savory treat for breakfast. Sounds like a fun gathering, almost like my book club…we’re very social not much reading 🙂
On August 13, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Gula welat says:
Super l’idée de ces petites boules de fromage. je t’en pique une
bisous
On August 13, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Jojo says:
I’ve never had this so it’s a must try! This looks yummy!
On August 13, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Banana Wonder says:
These look so so good. I need to get some akkawi cheese – never tried it!
On August 13, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Alicia (Foodycat) says:
I made something similar to this from Kalofagas’s blog – so delicious! I must try this version.
On August 14, 2011 at 8:46 am
Chiara says:
Really lovely recipe ! I must try, thanks for sharing Joumana…
On August 14, 2011 at 9:54 am
Maria @ Scandifoodie says:
Just a mentioning of cheese got me drooling 😉 these look wonderful!
On August 14, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Tammy says:
What a fun girlfriend get together!
On August 14, 2011 at 1:42 pm
T.W. Barritt says:
This is so lovely, with the extra benefit of cheese, hidden inside. I would love to attend such a gathering!
On August 14, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
I would so easily tear into all of these!
On August 14, 2011 at 5:54 pm
sophia says:
I literally gasped out, “Oh…my…GOD” when I saw the first picture with the cheese oozing out. You really know how to tantalize people! I would love to tear a few apart with my hands and my mouth…gossiping with Turkish coffee…what a great and wonderful picture!
On August 14, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Devaki says:
You had me at pull-away bread! And then you had to go stuff it with cheese…I think I just died and went to heaven Joumana 🙂
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On August 14, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Jeannie says:
These rolls look so amazing, I would love to try this too! Thanks for showing us how:)
On August 14, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:
Oh well look who just join the pull away/apart bread band wagon he he. They are fun to make and a cheese filling is a great idea.
On August 14, 2011 at 11:48 pm
Ivy says:
These cheese rolls are amazing. I have included a similar recipe with minor differences in my cookbook.
On August 15, 2011 at 5:40 am
Yasmeen says:
How absolutely wonderful, Joumana! Such a social dish – perfect for popping onto the table and letting everyone dig in.
On August 15, 2011 at 6:05 am
Murasaki Shikibu says:
I pity the men who can’t get in on the sobhiyeh. *gloats*
On August 15, 2011 at 6:33 am
Krista says:
I love this beautiful tradition, Joumana. 🙂 I want to start doing that – AND making these delectable rolls. 🙂
On August 15, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Tall Clover Farm says:
Joumana, you just answered my question; what appetizer will I make for a party this weekend. I fear they will be gone in seconds, not much of a problem to have I guess. Thanks! And then on to your pistachio brownies.
On August 16, 2011 at 9:10 am
Caffettiera says:
Sounds like a great way to spend a morning.. We should organize a blogging equivalent 🙂
On August 30, 2011 at 11:04 am
Charles says:
These look fantastic!!
On August 30, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Beth Michelle says:
This looks so good and Halloumi is my favorite! I cannot wait to try this.
On August 31, 2011 at 7:05 am