I may not have made it to nine layers thanks to the baking dish I cooked this in, but this strudel-like pie has all of the traditional components of bregovska pita.

One thing for sure is that it tastes just like the Croatian baked desserts I remember as a kid. Layers of soft filo, poppy seeds, grated apple, booze-soaked currants (traditionally it’s meant to be raisins), ground walnuts and just enough cinnamon-spiked sugar to make it sweet.

Dollops of sour cream add moisture to each layer and a final crust of filo topped with a layer of egg and sour cream, resulting in a thin baked custard, of sorts.

I broke the rules a little when rehydrating the currants. Supposedly it’s meant to be just rum. All I had was a little rum and bourbon left in two mini bottles, so I used both, mixed with some sherry. Also, the poppy seeds are meant to be ground. I only had whole poppy seeds in the pantry and got bored halfway through grinding them in my mortar. This is why most of them aren’t ground.

It may be a tad laborious, but the outcome is truly delicious. I reckon next time I’ll finely grate the zest of a lemon and mix it through the sour cream for some added freshness. Serve the bregovska pita hot or at room temperature with a little sour cream, or yoghurt, sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar.

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Bregovska pita - Croatian 9 layer pie

Mixing up traditional bregovska pita with this beautiful Croatian dessert.

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Croatian

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• ¾ cup currants
• 3 tbsp rum
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• 150 g unsalted butter
• 375 g filo pastry
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 apples peeled & grated
• ¾ cup poppy seeds ground (or not)
• ¾ cup walnuts ground
• 2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp sour cream

Course Dessert Cuisine Croatian Servings servings Ingredients ¾ cup currants 3 tbsp rum 1 cup caster sugar 1½ tsp cinnamon 150 g unsalted butter 375 g filo pastry 1 cup sour cream 2 apples peeled & grated ¾ cup poppy seeds ground (or not) ¾ cup walnuts ground 2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp sour cream

Instructions

1. Soak the currants with the rum. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 190°C.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Grease a deep baking dish. Lay two sheets of filo at the bottom of the baking dish and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and a few tablespoons of the sour cream.
5. Add two more layers of filo and brush with melted butter. Scatter half of the apple over the top, then sprinkle sugar and a few more tablespoons of the sour cream.
6. Add two more layers of filo, brush with butter and scatter over half of the currants, then sugar and more sour cream.
7. Add two more layers of filo, brush with butter and scatter over the poppy seeds, more sugar and sour cream. Add two more layers of filo, brush with butter and scatter over the ground walnuts, sugar and sour cream.
8. Repeat the layering with the same ingredients, but be sure to reserve two sheets of filo for the top.
9. To finish off, lay the two final sheets of filo on the work bench, brush with melted butter, then lay over the top of the dish. Pour this over the pie.
10. Prick the top with a skewer or fork, all the way to the bottom. Sprinkle with a little more sugar and bake for 50 minutes, or until golden.
11. Allow to cool in the tin before slicing or removing. Serve with thick cream or sour cream scattered with cinnamon sugar.

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