Babajan's haloumi cheese pies

Name: Haloumi cheese pies Babajan restaurant Melbourne
Yield: 14
Ingredients: 100g sesame seeds; 3 1/3 cups (500g) baker’s flour; 10g dried instant yeast; 2 tsp caster sugar; 2.00 egg; 200ml milk; 50g unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly; 50ml extra virgin olive oil; 180g kasseri cheese (Greek-style cheese, from specialty stores), grated; 180g haloumi, grated; 200g feta, crumbled; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp dried mint; 1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted; 1 tbs currants, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained

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by Kirsty Chiaplias

Aug 09, 2021

“The haloumi pie is, for me and my customers, a staple. It has been a pastry that we have been baking for years... and it just gets better. I have customers who have moved away from the area and still come in for their haloumi pie. Literally, one of my regulars moved to New Zealand through lockdown and came back recently for work, visited us and got her haloumi pie, rice pudding and flat white!” – Kirsty Chiaplias, chef & owner of Babajan's.

100g sesame seeds

Dough

3 1/3 cups (500g) baker’s flour
10g dried instant yeast
2 tsp caster sugar
1 egg
200ml milk
50g unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
50ml extra virgin olive oil

Cheese filling

180g kasseri cheese (Greek-style cheese, from specialty stores), grated
180g haloumi, grated
200g feta, crumbled
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted
1 tbs currants, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Place sesame seeds in a small saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium heat, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Drain well, then spread evenly on a baking tray lined with paper towel. Set aside.
2.

For the dough, combine all ingredients and 1 tsp salt in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide into 14 balls and leave to rest, covered with a slightly damp towel, for 30 minutes at room temperature or until risen slightly.
3.

Meanwhile, for the cheese filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
4.

Roll out each dough ball into 12-15cm squares. Press each piece of dough onto the boiled sesame seeds and lay on the bench sesame-seed-side down. Place 2 tbs cheese filling in the centre of the dough. Fold one side over the mix to about half way, then fold the opposite side over to almost cover the filling. Repeat with the other sides, ensuring cheese mix is in all corners of the pie. You should have a small opening at the centre of each pie. Place pies on a lightly oiled baking tray and, using a small sharp knife, cut a small incision in the corners of each pie, where the dough is doubled over. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway, until pastry is golden and cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately.