Traditional Flaounes from the Wood-Fired Oven - Recipe
TRADITIONAL FLAOUNES FROM THE WOOD-FIRED OVEN
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough
• 11 cups (1650g) Village Flour
• 2 cups (400g) fine Semolina
• 2 teaspoons (16g) cooking salt
• 2 teaspoons (4g) ground Mahlab
• 1 teaspoon (2g) ground Mastic
• 2 tablespoons (30g) sugar
• ½ cup (120ml) sunflower oil
• 1 cup (250g) melted goat/sheep milk butter
• 4 (M) eggs
• 4 heaped tablespoons (120g) sheep yogurt with whey (tsipa)
• 2 ½ cups (625ml) lukewarm water
For the Filling (Fouko)
• 1 ½ kg cheese for Flaounes
• 5 cups (½ kg) Halloumi
• 2 cups (200g) dry Anari (ricotta)
• 1 ½ cups (225g) Fine Flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons (3g) ground Mastic
• 6 teaspoons (48g) baking powder
• 2 tablespoons (30g) sugar
• 1 ½ cups (70g) fresh chopped mint
• 1 cup (180g) raisins
• 10-12 (M) eggs
• 2 cups (300g) sesame seeds
For the Glaze
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
METHOD
1. 3 DAYS BEFORE PREPARING: Grate the Flaouna cheese, Halloumi, and dry Anari on the fine side of the grater and place them in a bowl. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator. Stir the cheeses two to three times a day. This way they will dry out and thus 'absorb' more eggs, resulting in fluffier flaounes.
1. 1 DAY BEFORE PREPARING: The evening before you make the flaounes, rinse the mint well, remove the leaves, and spread them on a towel to dry. Wash the raisins and spread them on a towel to dry as well. In a saucepan, put plenty of water, add the sesame seeds, and boil for 2-3 minutes, then strain them. Spread the sesame seeds on a wide tray lined with a towel. Close the edges of the towel well to retain moisture.
1. PREPARATION: Take the cheeses out of the refrigerator to reach room temperature. For the dough: In a bowl, combine the flour, semolina, salt, Mahlab, Mastic, and sugar. Mix well and add the sunflower oil and melted butter. Rub them in (triturate with your palms) until coarse crumbs form. Add the eggs and mix. Add the yogurt, mix, and gradually add the water. Knead for 5 minutes so the gluten develops and our dough becomes fluffier. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
1. Prepare the filling: Finely chop the mint. Add it to the bowl with the cheeses and add the flour, Mastic, baking powder, sugar, raisins, and mix. Then, add the 10 eggs and knead well. If necessary, add the other 2 eggs. For the filling to be ready, it should form one large ball that doesn't break apart. Be especially careful when adding the eggs as the mixture might not 'take' all of them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough is also ready. Heat the wood-fired oven or preheat a conventional oven to 200°C.
1. Filling the flaounes: Take 150g of the filling (fouko) and form tight round balls (you will have 22 balls). Take a little dough (keep the rest covered so it doesn't dry out) and roll it into a log. Cut into 5-6 pieces of about 110g each. Take one piece, knead it, and roll it out with a rolling pin. Using a small dessert plate (about 20cm in diameter) as a guide, cut round discs from the dough, 2-3 mm thick. Lightly mix the sesame seeds and dip the dough disc into them, pressing so they stick to the bottom side. Place a ball of filling in the center, brush around the edges with egg to help the dough stick more easily, and fold the sides inwards to form a triangle. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving 3 cm between them, and brush them (the dough and the filling) with the beaten eggs mixed with the 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. Press the edges of the dough with a fork to seal them well. Bake the flaounes in the wood-fired oven or conventional oven for 40-45 minutes, or until nicely browned.
