MACEDONIAN MAZNIK

Maznik is a traditional Macedonian swirl pastry, made of thin kneaded dough, filled with white cheese, spinach, leeks or minced meat and then rolled in a swirl form. It's very popular, like zelnik or burek. Homemade maznik is the best, you can't buy that good maznik in a store. This is one of the easiest maznik recipes, try it and impress your family or friends. It's not that hard to make it as you think, believe me.


Ingredients:

• 700 g flour 
• about 250 ml lukewarm water
• about 200 ml of oil
• pinch of salt
• filling optional (spinach, cheese, minced meat, leeks, sauerkraut)

Preparation:

1. Place flour in a bowl and add salt and water.
2. Knead soft dough and add water if necessary until dough is soft. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Form 6-8 balls from the dough, then make small disks from each (diameter 15 cm) by pressing dough with your hands, then cover them with oil. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer disks to work on the middle of a table cloth, and roll out as much as greater crust as you can. Then gradually start pulling the edges of the sheet until you get a thin crust. Remove edges of the crust (you'll use them later). Sprinkle crust with oil and apply the prepared filling. Bend crusts in a roll form. Then bend in a swirl form and put in a oil coated circular baking pan.
   
5. Sprinkle some oil and water on top before baking.
6. Bake at 250 C degrees for 20-25 minutes until maznik gets a beautiful golden/red color.
7. After baking, cover pie with wet kitchen towel, then serve. Serve with fermented milk.
   
8. Make small balls from the thick ends of the remaining dough, coat with oil and leave to rest for half an hour. Stretch each ball the size of a hotplate and bake directly on the hotplate. Make tacos, they are delicious.