Φλαούνες — Print Recipe

Rich savoury-sweet pastries filled with a unique mixture of halloumi, eggs, raisins, and mint, wrapped in a mahlepi-scented dough and topped with sesame — the unmistakable taste of Cypriot Easter.

Ingredients

4 cups flour
1 cup warm milk
1 tsp mahlepi (ground)
1 tsp mastic (ground)
1 sachet active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
400g halloumi, grated
200g fresh anari cheese (or ricotta)
4 eggs
1 cup raisins
2 tbsp dried mint
Sesame seeds
1 egg yolk for glazing

Instructions

1 Dissolve yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Let froth for 10 minutes.
2 Mix flour, sugar, mahlepi, and mastic. Add yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead into smooth dough. Rest 1 hour until doubled.
3 Make filling: combine grated halloumi, anari cheese, eggs, raisins, and dried mint.
4 Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a circle. Place a generous amount of filling in the centre.
5 Fold the edges up to create a square or triangular shape, leaving the top open to show the filling.
6 Brush with egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 190°C for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Did You Know?

Every Cypriot family bakes dozens of flaounes before Easter — the entire island smells of mahlepi and sesame for days.