Bulgarian Parlenka: The irresistible Balkan flatbread

Parlenka is the Balkan answer to pizza. This round, thin flatbread is served with either white or yellow cheese, sometimes both. The whole dish is enveloped in the aroma of garlic, and a generous amount of olive oil amplifies the flavour. That's all. Parlenka is a straightforward dish, but its simplicity makes it magnetic and addictive.

I encountered Parlenka for the first time while on vacation in Bulgaria. Initially, I wasn't sure what dish I was dealing with when it appeared on my plate before dinner. Parlenka perfectly matched my preferences so I couldn't leave the restaurant without the recipe for this marvel.

Parlenka is made from yeast dough. It is usually eaten warm and served garnished with white brined cheese and lutenitsa, a Balkan spicy vegetable paste. A typical way of decorating it is to spread lutenitsa all over the Parlenka and sprinkle the whole thing with crumbled white cheese. In some regions of Bulgaria, Parlenka is spread with butter, lard, or olive oil and served with garlic, ham, or even jam. It is believed that Parlenka is the Bulgarian equivalent, or even the prototype, of Italian pizza.

Ingredients:

• 40 grams of fresh yeast,
• 400 grams of wheat flour type 500,
• 50 millilitres of canola oil,
• salt, sugar,
• 200 grams of brined cheese,
• 4 cloves of garlic,
• olive oil.

Preparation:

1. Dissolve the yeast in 200 millilitres of warm water with a tablespoon of sugar. Add a tablespoon of flour and set it aside for about 15 minutes.
2. After this time, add the sifted flour, salt, and oil to the working starter. Knead the whole thing into a smooth dough. Set aside under cover for two hours to rise.
3. Next, divide the risen dough into two equal parts. Form them into thin flatbreads.
4. Fry the flatbreads in a pan over low heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes on each side.
5. Mix the olive oil with the pressed garlic and spread this mixture on the ready flatbread. Sprinkle with white cheese.