Ossetian pie with cheese and herbs

Prepare the ingredients for Ossetian pie with cheese and herbs. Be sure to sift the flour. It's better to do it twice. The water should be warm, but not hot.

Pour sifted flour into a deep bowl. Add half a teaspoon of salt to the flour and mix well. In a separate container, combine dry yeast, sugar, and warm water. The yeast and sugar should dissolve completely in the water. Add the yeast water to the bowl with the flour.

Knead the dough. It should be kneaded for at least five minutes. Knead it only with your hands, without mixers or dough kneaders. As they say in Ossetia, that's when the dough comes to life. At first, the dough will be sticky, but don't rush to add more flour. During the kneading process, the dough will start to come together into a ball and separate from the sides of the bowl and your hands. This way we get a soft dough. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap or a lid. Place the bowl in a warm place and leave it for 40 minutes. The dough needs to rest and increase in volume by 2.5 times. During this time, you can prepare the filling for the Ossetian pie with cheese and herbs.

Prepare the filling with cheese and herbs. Rinse and dry the dill and parsley well. Remove the tough stems. Finely chop the tender herbs. Place the herbs in a bowl. Add half a teaspoon of salt and knead well. The salt should dissolve in the juice of the herbs. This will make the filling even more aromatic.

Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. It's best to use Caucasian or Ossetian cheese. However, Adyghe cheese is also great in this case. It has a similar texture and a rich milky taste. The main thing is to choose a high-quality, natural, and fresh Adyghe cheese. Add the prepared herbs to the grated cheese and mix well.

Remove the dough from the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a lid. Grease your hands with vegetable oil and knead the dough with them. Grease the surface on which the pies will be formed with vegetable oil. Divide the dough into three equal parts. Roll each part into a ball and leave for another 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Take one ball of dough and roll it carefully with your hands. No rolling pins, only hands are used. Divide the cheese and herb filling into three parts. Roll each part into a ball and place it in the center of the rolled-out dough.

Bring the edges of the dough upwards and seal them. Very carefully, along the entire axis, start kneading the dough with the filling in a circular motion. Flip it over and knead again to flatten it into a round flat pie. Make a small hole in the center of the pie with your hands. This is necessary for steam to escape during baking. Place the pie in a round baking sheet or skillet and place it in the center of the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Grease the baking sheet with vegetable oil beforehand. Bake the pie for 15 minutes.

Remove the cooked pie from the oven and transfer it to a plate. Generously brush the hot pie with melted butter. Repeat the same process for the second and third pies. Stack the finished pies on top of each other.

Serve the pies hot. Cut all the pies at once in a stack. This way, you can mix and match fillings to create different flavors each time. Ossetian pies with cheese and herbs are ready. Enjoy your meal!