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Dough

Bulgarian Feta Tutmanik Rolls

Name: Bulgarian Feta Tutmanik Rolls
Cook time: 40 min
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 2 cups + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (500 ml); 1 packet instant yeast or ½ cube fresh yeast; 1 tablespoon honey or sugar — I usually use honey; 1 tablespoon olive oil or other neutral oil; 1 tablespoon vinegar; About 7¼ cups all-purpose flour (900 g), added gradually; 1 teaspoon salt; About ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons melted butter (200 g); Crumbled feta cheese, to taste; 1 large egg; Mix the feta and egg together until you have a thick cheese mixture.

Soft, buttery, layered tutmanik baked as individual little rolls filled with feta and egg — my modern twist is baking them in a Dutch oven.

Cook

35–40 min

This is another Bulgarian tutmanik with feta cheese — soft, buttery, layered, and baked as individual little rolls. My Baba and my mother always baked this kind of tutmanik in a regular baking pan. My modern twist is baking it in a Dutch oven, and I think it comes out even more delicious that way. The dough is rolled, brushed with butter, folded like an envelope, rested while you work through the other pieces, then rolled again, filled with feta and egg, shaped into logs, sliced, arranged in the pan, brushed with butter, and baked until beautifully golden. It does not have to look perfect. I do most of it by eye, and once everything bakes together, it looks beautiful anyway.

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More photos

Shaping the soft kneaded dough into a ball on a floured board

Cutting the risen dough into pieces with a knife

Rolling a dough piece into a thin sheet with a wooden rolling pin

Brushing the rolled dough with melted butter, a bowl of butter alongside

Spooning the feta-and-egg filling along one side of the buttered dough

Rolling the filled dough into a long log

Cutting the filled log into short pieces

The cut pieces arranged cut-side up in a greased cast-iron pan

Brushing the tops of the arranged pieces with melted butter

Baked tutmanik rolls served in a white oval dish on a wooden board

Close-up of the buttery layered tops of baked tutmanik rolls

Instructions

Activate the Yeast

1
In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine the lukewarm water, yeast, honey or sugar, and olive oil.
2
Stir and let the yeast begin to activate and become slightly foamy.

Make the Dough

1
Sift part of the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Do not add all the flour at once.
2
Pour in the activated yeast mixture and add the vinegar.
3
Begin mixing and gradually add more flour until a soft dough forms. The exact amount of flour can vary depending on the brand, so use the 900 g only as a guide. You may need a little less or a little more.
4
The most important thing is not to make the dough hard. Knead until smooth and soft.

Let the Dough Rise

1
Place the dough in a bowl and cover it well. Let it rise until doubled in size.
2
You can use my warm-oven method if you like, but make sure the oven is only gently warm and completely turned off before the dough goes inside. You want the dough to rise, not start baking.

Divide the Dough

1
Once the dough has risen, lightly flour your work surface if needed.
2
Shape the dough into one large ball and divide it into 6 pieces. They do not have to be perfectly equal. If you want every piece exactly the same size, you can weigh them, but I usually just divide everything by eye.

First Roll and Fold

1
Take the first dough ball and roll it into a thin sheet. Brush generously with melted butter.
2
Fold the dough inward from the sides, like an envelope. Set it aside.
3
Repeat with all 6 pieces: roll, brush with butter, fold like an envelope, and set aside. By the time you finish the sixth piece, the first pieces will have had time to rest and begin puffing again.

Prepare the Filling

1
Crumble the feta cheese into a bowl.
2
Add 1 egg and mix until you have a thick feta-and-egg mixture. Use as much feta as you like.

Roll Again and Fill

1
Start again with the first folded piece. Roll it out again and brush with more melted butter.
2
Place some of the feta-and-egg mixture along one side of the dough, rather than spreading it over the whole sheet.
3
Roll the dough around the filling into a long, thin log. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Cut into Pieces

1
Cut each filled log into short pieces. They do not have to be perfectly equal.
2
Arrange the pieces cut-side up in your baking dish. Leave a little space between them because they will continue to rise and expand while baking.

Choose Your Baking Dish

1
Traditionally, my Baba and my mother baked tutmanik in a regular baking pan. My modern twist is using a Dutch oven, and I think the flavor and texture are even better this way.
2
You can use a shallow Dutch oven, a cast-iron-style pan, a round baking pan, a deeper baking dish, or a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3
If using a Dutch oven or cast-iron-style pan, grease it very well with butter. If using another baking dish, parchment paper is a great option for easy removal.

Brush the Top with Butter

1
Once all the pieces are arranged in the pan, brush the tops generously with melted butter.
2
There is no need for a long separate second rise. By the time you roll, butter, fill, cut, arrange, and brush all the pieces, the dough will already have had time to rise again naturally.

Bake

1
Bake at 350°F for about 35 to 40 minutes in total. Every oven bakes differently, so it may take a little more or a little less time.
2
Check on it occasionally — you can turn on your oven light to see how it is coloring without opening the door.
3
If using a Dutch oven, cover it with the lid for the first about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the tutmanik as it bakes. Once you see it puffing and rising, remove the lid so it has room to continue rising freely and does not stick to the lid.
4
Continue baking uncovered until the tutmanik is fully baked and beautifully golden.
5
If you are using a regular baking pan, simply bake uncovered at 350°F for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until done.
6
Let it cool slightly before serving.

Toti’s Tips

✓Add the flour gradually. Do not add all 900 g at once.
✓Keep the dough soft. Too much flour can make the tutmanik dense.
✓Use honey or sugar for the yeast — I personally prefer honey.
✓The vinegar goes into the dough after the yeast mixture is added to the flour.
✓Divide the dough into 6 pieces, but don't stress about making them perfectly equal.
✓Brush with butter generously during both rolling stages.
✓The feta-and-egg filling goes along one side before rolling into a log.
✓Leave a little space between the cut pieces because they will expand while baking.
✓Brush the tops with melted butter before baking.
✓A regular baking pan is the traditional way; the Dutch oven is my modern twist.
✓If using a Dutch oven, bake covered for about the first 20 minutes, but watch it closely.
✓Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes in total — every oven is different, so it may take a little more or a little less.
✓Check on it occasionally, or turn on your oven light to watch how it is browning without letting the heat out.
✓As soon as the tutmanik begins rising toward the lid, remove the lid and continue baking uncovered.
✓The pieces do not need to look perfect — once baked together, they look beautiful.

Storage

•Serve warm with plain Bulgarian yogurt, extra feta cheese, or simply on its own.

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