🥧 Cheese burek (sirnica)
Burek sa sirom, known in Bosnia as sirnica, is a Balkan pie of phyllo layers filled with crumbled fresh white cheese mixed with eggs. It bakes into a flaky, golden crust around a soft, salty and slightly tangy filling. It is a favourite breakfast, usually eaten warm from the bakery.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g phyllo sheets
- 500 g fresh white cheese (such as a crumbly cow's cheese)
- 3 eggs
- 60 ml vegetable oil, divided
- A pinch of salt
Method
- Crumble the cheese and mix it with the eggs and a pinch of salt.
- Oil a 28 cm round baking tin. Layer sheets of phyllo, brushing each lightly with oil, then spread the filling and roll or fold into a spiral or layered pie.
- Brush the top with a little oil and bake at 200 °C for 35–40 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm.
How to make it lighter
- Use a lower-fat fresh cheese for the filling; it keeps the texture with fewer calories.
- Brush the phyllo with oil instead of pouring — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Cut the pie into 8 smaller wedges and eat one with a vegetable salad.
History
Burek came to the Balkans with Ottoman cuisine and is related to the Turkish börek. In Bosnia and Herzegovina only the meat-filled version is strictly called burek, while the others are known as pita; elsewhere in the former Yugoslavia every version is simply burek. Today it is a standard breakfast from bakeries across the region.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →