This year I made these flaounes at home.

DH helped me roll out the dough using a pasta maker. I gave this job to him because I needed a hand and he loves any technology, and the pasta maker is something he’s been wanted to use for a while.

My right hand was jarred 4 weeks ago when I cycled from St Ives to West Head so my wrist is now taped up, but I still kneaded the dough for this recipe.

Last year I made about 90 flaounes that it took ages to eat and give them away so this year my Godmother gave me a locally produced Greek cook that had a recipe for 60 flaounes. This recipe is by Dimitra Papilos, in the from home to home fund raising cookbook, St Raphael’s Greek Orthodox Church, Parish of Liverpool and Districts, 2009.

Cheese mix ingredients (prepare the mixture the night before)

5 medium pieces haloumi cheese, grated (I used 1 pieces of haloumi from Woolies)

6 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I used 3/4 pack of a 500 gm tasty chees grated from Woolies)

1kg kefalograviera, grated (I used 800 gm)

1 cup fine semolina

1/2 self-raising flour (I used plain flour and added 4 T baking powder)

2 sachets yeast (I started the yeast in 1/2 cup luke warm milk)

2 cups chopped fresh mint (I used 1/2 cup fresh mint from my garden)

2-3 dozen eggs (I used 8 eggs in the mixture and freshened it up with 2 eggs before I used the cheese mix).

extra eggs for glazing (I used 1 egg)

1kg sesame seeds (I used 300 grams of sesame seeds)

I also added half of the mahlepi and mastica required for the pastry.

Directions:

Use a laundy size plastic tub for this because it’s a large amount of ingredients. My bowl was a real struggle to use.

1. In a large dish, add all the cheese. Then add the semolina, flour, yeast and enough eggs to make a wet but firm mixture. Set aside in a cool place over night, but cover it with a towel.
2. If you like sultanas, add some in the preparation stage or just add a few as you assemble the flanounes.
3. You can now make the pastry. I made this the night before after making the mixture, but most Greek mums make this on the day. I work full time, so this was a handy option.

Pastry ingredients: (Prepare the pasty the night before)

3kg plain flour (I used the flour for bread)

5 cups self raising flour (I used 1 cup)

6 cups luke warm milk (I used 4 cups)

3 cups vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1 pkt mahlepi powder

10 grams crushed mastica

Directions.

Again, use a huge plastic bucket/dish. These are massive quantities.

1. Prepare the pastry by adding the sifted flours together with the oil, luke warm milk and spices. knead together until soft and pliable.
2. Cover and set aside to rest and rise.
   

Day 2:

1. Clean and clear your kitchen ahead of time because you need stacks of room.
2. Preheat the oven at 200C (my oven overheats so I used base heat at 190C).
3. Blanche sesame seeds in boiling water and drain through a fine sieve.
4. Before commencing, add the fresh mint to the cheese mix.
5. For the glaze, beat some eggs and to that add some of the sesame seeds.
6. Break pieces of dough into portions and roll out on a clean floured surface to form a round shape. (This is when we used the pasta maker to take the pressure off my shoulders and hands).
7. Add a heaped spoonful of the cheese mixture to the centre of the pastry and fold the four edges together, leaving a small opening in the centre.
8. Glaze with the egg and sesame seeds.
9. Place onto a well greased baking dish and cook in a hot oven at 200C. (This is where I used baking paper on a scone slide, and didn’t need to grease and re-grease the baking dish).
10. Continue until all the pastry and mixture is finished.