These little individual cheese pies (tiropitakia) are the quintessential Greek snack food, the kind of food I grew up with in Greece and an all-time personal favorite. Greek moms and grandmothers make them for the kids’ lunch boxes, for their field trips and their parties, and, grown ups bring them to work to snack on and share with friends. I have memories of freshly baked trays of these mini cheese pies waiting for me, still warm, as an after school snack along with a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
How to make the Savory Greek Cheese Pies (tiropitakia):
Each family has its own version of this melt-in-your-mouth dough that they swear by. It is essentially a simple dough made with Greek strained yoghurt and extra virgin olive oil. The dough is easy to roll out and cut into circles:
The filling of these cheese pies is crumbled Feta cheese combined with one egg — simplicity at it’s finest! Once the dough circles are filled with the cheese mixture, we crimp the edges and brush with egg wash:
Once baked in the oven, the dough becomes puffy, flaky and golden around the edges. The difficult part now is waiting for them to cool down. These delicious Greek mini pies are the perfect savory portable snack and such a favorite treat in my family!
The recipe for the Savory Greek Cheese Pies (tiropitakia)
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tsp. dry active yeast
- ½ tsp. sugar
- 2 cups All-Purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (like Total 2%), room temperature
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. Greek Feta cheese
- 1 lrg. egg
- 1 lrg. egg, lightly beaten (for brushing on the top of the pies)
- --- --- sesame seeds (optional)
- Measure ¼ cup of warm water in a measuring cup. Whisk the yeast and the sugar into the water and let stand until it bubbles, about 5 minutes.
- In a stand mixer equipped with a paddle, mix the flour with the salt. Pour in the water/yeast mixture, the Greek yogurt and the olive oil. Blend until the mixture forms a soft ball and the dough is elastic and easy to handle. If your dough seems dry, add some more warm water (1 tablespoon at a time). If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Cover and let the dough rest for about an hour or until double in volume.
- Crumble the feta cheese with a fork and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Break the egg inside the bowl and stir with a spoon until you have a homogenous mixture. Add some pepper if you like.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- After this resting time, punch the dough down to deflate and turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface. Dust with some flour and roll the dough out. Cut out circles of about 3-inch in diameter (you can use a large glass to do that). Alternatively, divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about the size of a walnut.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, press it with the palm of your hand (or a small rolling pin, if you prefer) to make a roughly 3-inch disc. Fill each round with about a tablespoon of the filling, making sure not to spread it towards the edges of the dough or you will not be able to close it properly. Fold the dough over the filling and with a fork press down to seal. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
- Brush the cheese pies lightly with the beaten egg, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on (if using.) Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Eat them slightly warm or at room temperature. Store them at room temperature for one or two days, although they likely will not last that much.
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Loved it perfect recipe had everything I was looking for ??
That’s great, Poppy! I am so glad you liked the recipe!
I have been trying to find a recipe my family calls tourtos, this is the closest I can find to it . Have you ever heard of tourtos
I have not… I wonder if it is a local name for a version of this recipe? Do you know where in Greece does it come from?
Their people came from similar I believe,, I’m gonna try yours though , the tourtos recipe is good though let me know if you would like to try it kathy
syme
My family is also from Symi . This is pretty similar recipe, only diff is my BaBa would add some shredded parm and a little black pepper to the mix and yep we called them Tortes.
Sagging auto correct I meant to say Simi
I am sure your recipe from Simi is similar….. I wonder what the differences are!
Just curious…I read your story above the recipe and you stated strained yogurt. The recipe directions don’t say to do that. What would you recommend?
Hi Robyn,
The Greek yogurt we find here in the US is always strained, which is what we need for this recipe! My favorite is FAGE, TOTAL 2%. It does not need any more straining:) I hope this answers your question! .