You may see this as just fried dough filled with feta cheese, but for me it’s so much more than that. This langosi recipe makes me very nostalgic. When I was a little girl, growing up in Romania, I went to a grade school that was a 5 minute walk from our home. My sister and I would walk to school every day. On the left side of the school there was an old movie theatre and across the street a market where they would sell “langosi cu branza” and you could smell it for miles. Even now just thinking about it, the smell of this cheesy fried dough comes to my mind.
What is Feta Fry Bread?
So what exactly is feta fry bread, aka, langosi cu branza? This deep fried dough is a street food staple in Eastern Europe and for a good reason. It’s perfectly crisp on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside, and filled with salty melty cheesy feta. The most literal translation I could come up with for “Langosi cu branza” would be “donuts with cheese”, but to me a donut is sweet so this translation just won’t do. For the purpose of this post we’ll just call it feta fry bread and it is amazing. Every time I go back to Romania, this is something I always get and it never lets me down. It’s just as good as I remember it from when I was a kid!
Feta Isn’t The Only Filling
This dish is also popular in Greece, where they craft this dish as more of a cheese filled pie. In Greece sometimes they drizzle their fry bread with honey or stuff the dough with things like halloumi cheese, fresh mint, oregano, basil, or dill.
Ingredients
Dough
Yeast – We’re using active dry yeast today. For info on your yeast I’ll include a section below! Sugar – This acts as food for your yeast to allow it to activate. Water – We want lukewarm water today. Hot water will kill your yeast and it won’t activate in cold water. Flour – All-purpose is ideal but bread flour will also work. Salt – Use as much or as little as you prefer.
Filling
Feta cheese – Crumbled up well. If you don’t have any on hand you can always use ricotta with some salt added
Oil
Vegetable oil – We want something neutral tasting with a high smoke point. Canola, sunflower, or safflower oils will also work.
How To Make Feta Fry Bread
Combine the dough: In a small bowl mix the sugar, yeast and water. Let it sit for about 15 minutes until the yeast gets foamy. In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, salt and mix. Add the yeast mixture and using the dough hook knead it for about 5 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky and elastic. Let the dough rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in a warm spot and allow the dough to double in size, anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Heat the oil: Heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Assemble the dough: While the oil is heating up, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces, you might need to oil your hands, so the dough doesn’t stick to them. Roll out each piece into a circle that’s about 4 inches in diameter. Add 1/4 cup of feta cheese in the middle and bring up the sides of the dough and form into a ball, covering up the cheese. Roll out the ball with cheese so that it’s about 6 inches in diameter, the cheese may stick out a bit, but that’s OK. Fry the dough: Fry one piece of dough at a time about 3 min per side or until golden brown, checking often to make sure it doesn’t burn. You’ll notice as it fries the dough will bubble up. Repeat with remaining dough pieces. Serve warm and enjoy!
Some Tips
The Oven Is The Best Place For Dough To Rise
Your oven is a great tool for yeast dough recipes like these that need to rise. Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature it will go, then turn it off to ensure that your oven is nice and warm without being too hot. This is the best way to make sure your dough rises enough so your langosi turn out just like mine!
Get The Most Out Of Your Yeast
Storing Leftover Fry Bread
Langosi freeze quite well; be sure to wrap them in aluminum foil or parchment paper and freeze in freezer bags. To reheat just pop them in the microwave for about a minute (aluminum foil removed).
Dough
To freeze extra dough, form the dough into big pucks and freeze uncovered on a tray. Once fully frozen, about 1-2 hours, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil and it will last for about 1 month. Dough can also be stored in the fridge in an oiled freezer bag. It will only last a few days so be sure to use it quickly.
Try These Classic Romanian Recipes:
Stuffed Peppers Meatball Soup Romanian Meatballs Cabbage Rolls Romanian Polenta
Check These Recipes Out for More Homemade Bread:
Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls Artisan Bread Honey Rolls No Knead Bread Pizza Dough Recipe
