Plăcinte are to Moldova what pizza is to Italy. A thin envelope of dough with cheese inside, all of it hot, with crisp edges. They are sold in every bakery, at every market and at every celebration, but homemade ones are always better because you decide how much filling goes in.

The dough: what matters

Plăcinte dough is simple: flour, water, oil, salt and a little vinegar. The vinegar makes the dough elastic, so it rolls out thin and does not tear. Do not knead it long: it is enough to gather it into a ball and knead five minutes by hand. Then it needs half an hour of rest under a towel or a bowl. This is the one step you cannot skip: without rest the dough is springy and fights the rolling pin.

When you roll, dust the table with only a little flour. Well-rolled dough is transparent: you can see the lines of the table through it. If the dough springs back, give it another ten minutes.

Use ordinary wheat flour, top grade. Compare prices on our page about flour.

The filling: which cheese to choose

The classic is brânză, a brine cheese made from sheep's or cow's milk. It should be soft, moist and moderately salty. Buy it in a piece, not ready crumbled, and mash it with a fork. If it is very salty, cover it with cold water for half an hour and squeeze it out. You can mix it half and half with unsalted cheese or cottage cheese.

Raw eggs and herbs go into the filling. The eggs bind the cheese so it does not run, and the dill gives aroma. Nothing else is needed.

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How to fold a plăcintă

Roll the dough into a square and put the filling in the centre: two spoons, no more. Fold the four corners to the middle like an envelope and press lightly. Turn it seam side down: that way it will not open in the oven. If the dough is dry, brush the edges with water.

Place them on a tray lined with paper, apart from each other. Plăcinte grow a little.

Oven or frying pan

In the oven at 200 degrees plăcinte bake in twenty-five minutes. The top browns and the bottom sets. But real plăcinte are also fried in a dry pan: no oil, three or four minutes on each side until brown spots appear. This way the dough turns out crisp and slightly blistered. Brush hot plăcinte with melted butter and cover with a towel: the crust softens.

For brushing, real butter is better.

What to serve with them

Plăcinte are eaten hot. Serve them with kefir, yoghurt or simply tea. In summer they go well with spring onions and tomatoes, and at a celebration with wine. Reheat cold ones in a pan: in the microwave they go soft and rubbery.

Other fillings on the same dough

The same dough works for plăcinte with potato, with cabbage and with greens. For potato ones, boil the potatoes and mash them with fried onion and pepper. For cabbage ones, stew shredded cabbage with onion until soft and cool it well. The green ones are made from spinach, sorrel and onion with egg. The filling must be dry, otherwise the thin dough soaks through and tears.

Common mistakes

  • not letting the dough rest: it will not roll out;
  • putting in too much filling: the plăcintă bursts;
  • baking in a weak oven: the dough dries instead of browning;
  • leaving hot plăcinte without a towel: the crust turns hard.