Cooking with Toti
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Bulgarian Feta Bread (Pitka Tutmanik)
Soft, fluffy pull-apart bread layered with butter and salty feta.
Serves
8
Time
2 hr 30 min
This soft, fluffy feta bread is smeared with butter and filled with salty feta — the kind of homemade comfort that melts in your mouth. A classic Bulgarian pitka tutmanik, golden on top with buttery, cheesy layers inside.
Instructions
Activate the yeast
- 1
In a deep bowl, combine warm milk (lukewarm — shouldn’t burn your finger), crumbled fresh yeast (or instant), honey, and olive oil.
- 2
Mix and let sit until bubbly and activated.
Make the dough
- 1
Sift the flour and mix in the salt.
- 2
Add the activated yeast mixture, eggs, and room-temperature yogurt to the flour.
- 3
Mix until a dough forms, then knead until soft — by hand, with a stand mixer (dough hook), or in a bread machine.
First rise
- 1
Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let it rise until doubled.
Shape & fill
- 1
Use room-temperature feta and very soft (not melted) butter.
- 2
Layer, fold, and shape the dough — spreading butter and crumbling feta between the layers.
Bake
- 1
Bake until golden brown on top.
Toti’s Tips
- ✓All ingredients should be room temperature.
- ✓Do not use hot milk — it will kill the yeast.
- ✓Butter must be very soft, not melted.
- ✓Feta should be room temp for easier spreading.
- ✓Fresh yeast is preferred, but instant yeast works great too.
- ✓Rising tip: lightly warm your oven, then turn it off and place the dough inside to rise faster. Don’t let the oven get too hot — you don’t want to start baking the dough. Place the bowl on a wooden board, not directly on the metal rack, and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.
More photos
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