Feta & Spring onion Bouikos

by: Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer

Bouikos are little cheese buns from the Balkans. We have had them in our mezze selection almost since day one. They are lovely at room temperature but once you’ve tried them fresh from the oven, you’ll be hooked. Makes 12 small buns or six large ones.

3.5 ounces cold butter 3 ounces mature Cheddar cheese 3 ounces feta 7 ounces AP flour pinch salt 4 fl oz sour cream ½ tsp nigella seeds 4 spring onions, chopped (or 2 tbs chopped chives) Milk to glaze (optional)

1 There are two key factors in getting the best texture here: use cold ingredients and work them as little as possible. Cut your cold butter into small cubes the size of playing dice. Grate the Cheddar cheese and crumble the feta, then combine all the ingredients straightaway. You can use a mixer with a paddle attachment or your hands. Work the mixture until it just combines; lumps of butter and cheese are exactly what you want in this dough – when you bake it, they will melt and ooze and be so tasty. 2 ● Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it down to a rough rectangle about two to three centimetres thick (roughly the same height as the first joint of your thumb). I traditionally cut it into triangles like this – flour the blade of your knife, cut the dough in half lengthways, slice across three times to divide it into six squares, then cut each of these from corner to corner to give you 12 small triangles. You can also make squares, rounds or rectangles (if you choose to go with rounds, you will need to re-form the offcuts by pushing them together and patting down, so that you use up all the dough). If you want to freeze any for future use, now is the time – just thaw at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. 3 ● Preheat your oven to 425F. You can brush the top of the buns with a little milk if you want them to be shiny, but it isn’t vital for the flavour. Bake on a lined baking tray on the upper-middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Open the oven and carefully turn the tray round, then reduce the temperature to 400F and bake for a further six to eight minutes until they are golden. 4 ● You can eat these straightaway, or you can cool them on the tray. They are best eaten the same day.

Servings: 12 Yield: 24 small or 12 large

Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/12 of a recipe (2.1 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 2 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.