Shared by Lisa and Vivienne Capelouto
Shared by Lisa and Vivienne Capelouto
Spinach and Feta Boyos
Yield: 20 boyosTime: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Spinach and Feta Boyos
Yield: 20 boyosTime: 1 hour and 45 minutesFamily Journey
SpainRhodes, GreeceSalisbury, Rhodesia (present-day Harare, Zimbabwe)
Tel AvivCape Town, South AfricaNew York City
An integral part of Sephardic desayuno or breakfast, boyos are cheese-filled Judeo-Spanish pastries. The dough is thinly rolled out until almost translucent, filled here with a mixture of sharp Parmesan, cheddar, and feta and fresh spinach (alternatively, you can use Swiss chard). Once rolled up, the boyos are shaped into spirals. Boyos are traditionally served for breakfast with huevos haminados, slow cooked brown eggs.
Read more about Vivienne and Lisa Capelouto’s family story in “How Zoom Helped Preserve a Sephardi Baking Tradition” and get the recipes for her orange blossom roskas and eggplant pastelikos.
Ingredients
For the yeast starter:
- 1 cup warm water (115F)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
For the dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup warm water
For the filling:
- 2 large bunches of fresh spinach, stems removed, around 10 oz.
- 1 cup grated Parmesan, divided
- ½ grated aged cheddar
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Preparation
Step 1
Make the yeast starter: Dissolve the yeast, salt, and sugar in the warm water and let stand for about 10 minutes at room temperature, until frothy.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, olive oil, and salt. Add the yeast starter and warm water to the bowl and mix together, adding up to ¼ cup more flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough will be sticky; use oiled hands to gather it.
Step 3
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 20 walnut-sized balls and place into a well-oiled dish, drizzling with oil. Let the dough rest, covered, for one hour, until nearly doubled in size.
Step 4
Meanwhile, wash and dry the spinach. Finely chop the washed spinach, then mix together with the ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the cheddar, and the feta, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 350F. Begin to shape: Gently roll out each ball into a rectangular shape, rolling it out as thinly as possible. The dough should be translucent — take care not to tear it while rolling.
Step 6
Arrange two tablespoons of the spinach filling in a log-like shape atop the dough. Fold in the bottom and sides and roll into a log. Shape into a coil.
Step 7
Repeat with the remaining balls of dough, until all the boyos have been shaped and coiled. Place the boyos on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Step 8
Brush each of the boyos lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until the tops are lightly browned, and the bottoms crisp, around 25 minutes.
