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Golden pan-fried sfakianopita cut open to show soft white cheese, with honey dripping over it on a wooden board

Cretan Sfakianopita: Pan-Fried Cheese Pie with Honey

Six thin Cretan cheese pies made with olive oil dough and fresh myzithra, pan-fried until golden and served with thyme honey.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 pies
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 505
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dough
  • 400 g all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 60 ml olive oil (4 tbsp)
  • 180 lukewarm water to 200 ml; add the last 20 ml only if needed
For the filling
  • 400 g fresh myzithra or whole-milk ricotta drained
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt only if using ricotta, taste first
To cook and serve
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for the pan
  • 6 tbsp thyme honey (about 125 g); for drizzling

Method
 

Make the dough
  1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and 180 ml of the water, then stir with your hand until the dough comes together. If it feels dry, add the remaining water 1 tbsp at a time. Knead on the counter for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft but not sticky.
  2. Divide the dough into 6 balls of about 110 g each. Cover them with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While they rest, put the myzithra in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl for 15 minutes. If the cheese still looks wet, the dough will turn soggy and leak in the pan, so let it drain longer. If you're using ricotta, stir in the salt now.
Fill and cook the pies
  1. Dust the counter lightly with flour. Roll one ball into a round of about 22 cm / 9 inches, 2 to 3 mm thick. Spoon about 65 g of cheese into the center and spread it into a square of about 8 cm / 3 inches. Fold the four sides over the cheese like an envelope, pinch the seams, and press gently with your palm to flatten the pie to about 1.5 cm. Shape a second pie the same way.
  2. Heat a 26 cm / 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush it with 1 tsp of the olive oil. Cook the 2 pies seam side down for about 3 minutes, until golden with brown spots. Flip and cook 3 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the pie feels firm.
  3. Roll, fill, and cook the remaining pies in 2 more batches of 2, wiping out the pan and brushing it with 1 tsp of oil each time. Roll the next pair while the current batch cooks.
  4. Drizzle each warm pie with 1 tbsp of honey and serve right away.

Notes

  • Weigh the dough balls so every pie rolls out to the same size.
  • Taste the cheese before salting, since myzithra, ricotta, and feta all vary in saltiness.
  • Cook over medium heat, not high, so the dough cooks through before the outside gets dark.
  • Cover the resting dough with a towel so the surface doesn't dry out.