Greek Cypriot Easter cake? Available in UK?

Question

I had a Greek Cypriot friend once whose granny used to send her a kind of cake/bread every Easter, it wasn't sweet, quite savoury, but my friend said it was traditional. It was GORGEOUS! Does anyone know if there is a traditional Greek Cypriot bread/cake made at Easter and if so, can I buy it in London anywhere? I wonder whether it was traditional, or just granny's own invention. Thanks!

Answer 1

There's a famous Greek/Turkish bakery in Harringay (along the Green Lanes after Manor House tube station) called Yasar Halim which has very yummy breads, cakes, pastries. This being a Turkish-Greek area of London, they will have lots of restaurants, bakeries & shops that will carry it esp around Easter time.


To make your own:

http://www.greekcuisine.com/oldsite/detail.html?RecipeID=14

Answer 2

It is delicius!
You are talking about Cypriot Easter speciality :FLAOUNA.
There are not 2 identical recipes, as every household is making different cheese mixture.

For the dough
5 glasses self-raising flour
2-3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
6-7 cherry mahaleb grains
6-7 smaR mastic grains
1 teaspoon sugar
1 glass oil
1 1/2 glass lukewarm milk
For the filling
1 kg flaouna cheese
1/2 glass semolina
1 piece yeast, the size of a large egg (it may be provided from bakeries)
5-6 eggs
6-7 cherry mahaleb grains
6-7 small mastic grains
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
lots of fresh mint, finely chopped
3/4-1 glass raisins (optional)
1 1/2 glasses sesame seeds
1 egg for brushing
To make the filling, grate the cheese 1-3 days in advance, if desired. Put in an uncovered dish and chill. Stir once or twice daily to dry. The cheese mixture may be prepared either the previous night or 4-5 hours in advance. Whisk the eggs well. Combine the cheese with semolina. Make a well in the centre, place the yeast in it and on top add some of the egg. Start pressing and rubbing the yeast, egg and some cheese with your fingertips to dissolve the yeast. Add as many eggs as needed to make a rather firm mixture. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside. To make the dough, mix the flour, baking powder, mastic and the cherry mahaleb pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour in the oil and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead with as much milk as needed to make a rather fluffy dough. Cover with a kitchen towel for 1/2 hour. Before starting rolling out the dough, finish the filling by adding the mint, baking powder, raisins (if using), cherry mahaleb and the mastic pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir well. Rinse the sesame seeds, drain and place on a kitchen towel. Roll out the dough thinly to give a round or square shape of the size required. Place each piece of dough on the sesame seeds and press on the bottom side only. In the centre of each piece put sufficient filling for the size of the dough and fold the four sides to form a square shape, leaving the filling in the centre uncovered. Using a fork, press the four corners of the square. Place each piece of dough on the sesame seeds and press on the bottom side only.In the center of each piece put sufficient filling for the size of the dough and fold the four sides to form a square shape,living the filling in the center uncovered.Using a fork, press the four corners of the square.Place flaounes on an ungreased, lightly floured baking tray and brush them with some beaten egg. Sprinkle the uncovered part of flaounes with sesame seeds. At the beginning, bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated, moderately hot oven (180 C) until well-risen and then bake in a moderate oven (150ψC) until golden brown.
Notes:

1. The filling should be rather firm.
2. Do not use lots of mastic and cherry mahaleb because the mixture might become bltter.
3. The central part of each pie should be uncovered.
4. Do not open the oven until the first 25-30 minutes of baking have elapsed.
5. Bake flaounes at first in a hot oven and then in moderate oven.
6. If you do not like sesame, do not press the pies in the sesame. Just sprinkle the flaounes surface with sesame after they have been brushed with egg. As a result, a smaller quantity of sesame will be needed.
7. Instead of flaouna cheese, kefalotyri or halloumi cheese may be used or any combination of the three.

herebelow you have photos and recipes also:
http://www.kypros.org/Sxetikos/Cookery/Flaounes-AS.htm
and a small video:
http://www.eurotoquescyprus.org/videos.htm

Flaouna is also made by Turkish Cypriot people (pilavouna)

There are Greek and Cypriot shops in London.I am sure it will be possible to find flaouna there next week.

Happy Easter!

Answer 3

I believe you are talking about 'flavouna' (we say pilavuna in Turkish). It is made with eggs and a special kind of cheese (talari cheese). This (usually) triangular shaped bread also has raisins and coriander seeds (or cannabis seeds) in it as well. It is delicious.
With so many Greekcypriots and Turkishcypriots living in UK, especially in London, it should not be hard to find it there. Check bakeries and groceries where Cypriots live.

Answer 4

it is traditional. It is a sweet bread. London has Greek restaurants call and ask if they serve Tsoureki. Spell it for them as you probably will find it hard to pronounce. Or call a nice hotel that has high tea.tsoureki is the name for it. There are a lot of recipes on like for it. Simply type in Recipes for greek tsoureki.

Answer 5

It is a traditional sweet bread, it has a red egg in the centre, it is called tsourekki. its delish, I dont know where you can find it in london, I live in greece, I will post you one if you like.

Answer 6

Most probably you refer to "Tsoureki". I would suggest to ask in some restaurants in Greenwich, Chsrlton area.

Answer 7

I've never seen it. And I see everything...