Bosnian Cheese Pie - Pita Sirnica

This Sirnica, also known as a Bosnian Cheese Pie, is one of the popular pastries enjoyed in Europe. It is made with flaky, buttery layers of fillo dough stuffed with a mix of cheeses, eggs, and sour cream.

Made with just a handful of ingredients, you'll love how easy this pie is and, best of all, it's kid-approved, delicious, and filling.

Traditionally, the dough is made from scratch, but the convenience of store-bought dough fits my busy schedule.

This cheesy, savory pie wrapped in fillo dough is similar to Greek tiropita. It uses three kinds of cheeses (but no ricotta), eggs, and fillo. The exception is also béchamel sauce, typical for the Greek version.

Pita in Bosnian is a general term for stuffed pastry, but they all have a specific name based on the stuffing.

👉 Variations

Besides cheese pie (pita sirnica or pita od sira, pita sa sirom), other favorites are:

• meat pita aka burek
• pita with potatoes - krompirusa
• pita with spinach (other greens can be used such as chard or stinging nettle), also known as zeljanik or zeljanica
• pita with pumpkin or zucchini pie
• egg pie
• There's also pita with...nothing – trust me, that one is my favorite, no joke! To make this pita, called maslenica or buttered pita (roughly translated), every layer of the pastry is brushed with a generous amount of butter and then baked. It is to die for, as all savory pies are!

Oh, and let’s not forget a pita with apples, walnuts, cinnamon, or a sweet cheese pita version. Is your mouth watering yet?

📃 Why it Works

• A fillo pie doesn't use yeast dough or lots of flour, so it's less time-consuming and lower in carbs.
• Fillo pies are not complicated and can be made ahead and stashed in the freezer, making them perfect to have on hand when short on time.
• Uses simple ingredients.
• Cheese-and-egg-filled fillo sheets are delicious comfort food and a favorite breakfast, appetizer, dinner, or snack.

🛒 Ingredients and Notes

• Fillo dough - You can find it in the frozen section of your grocery store. Some specialty stores will have Bosnian fillo (jufka), but any brand available to you will work. I prefer the country-style fillo dough found online and sometimes at Whole Foods. Their sheets are thicker and less fragile than some other brands.
• Cheese - I used full-fat small curd cottage cheese, sour cream (optional), shredded mozzarella, and just a small amount of feta cheese to mimic the taste and texture of the traditional Bosnian-style cheese (mladi sir). You can substitute cottage with farmer's cheese if you have it available.
• Eggs - Don't skip this important binder, and if you can, use organic, cage-free eggs.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1 - Prep the pastry

1. First, defrost the pastry in the fridge overnight, then get it to room temperature. This is very important, so they don’t break as they are very delicate. Once opened, keep them covered with a piece of plastic wrap and a lightly damp towel.

Step 2 - Make the filling

1. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix in sour cream, all the cheeses, and salt.

Step 3 - Preheat Oven & Prep the Pan

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave or on a stovetop.
3. Lightly brush melted butter on a 9×13-inch baking pan. 

Step 4 - Assemble

1. On a clean working surface, place one sheet of pastry. Lightly brush with the melted butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. If you’re working with the Greek brand, use 4-5 sheets as they are much thinner.
2. Spread ¼ of the filling, stopping at about 1 inch from the sides. Gently start folding/rolling the sheets. You could also place the sheets on a clean tablecloth and lift its end to get the sheets rolled. Pat a little water on the open ends so that you can fold them under the roll. Put the roll in a greased pan. Repeat this three more times. Use the leftover melted butter and brush over pita rolls, especially all the creases.

Step 5 - Bake

1. Bake the cheese pie in a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. The thinner sheets need less baking time, around 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Let the pie cool slightly before cutting.

What is fillo?

Fillo, filo, or phyllo is a fragile unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines.

Pita is almost always rolled and then coiled into one big round or small spirals. The store-bought filo is not as pliable, so I place the rolls next to each other like in this pie with cheese.

There's also an option of layering the pastry sheets with the filling. So, basically, there's no right or wrong method. Do whatever is easiest for you!

• The fillo package I use has 18-20 sheets, but we don't use them all for this recipe. You can count how many you need, depending on the brand you're using (*see ingredient notes), and wrap the rest for another use. Keep sheets covered as you make the recipe - they dry out quickly.
• If you are using large eggs, you might need to omit the sour cream. You want your filling not to be too runny, or it will leak out of the pastry sheets.
• Depending on the fillo dough and the size of a baking pan you are using, you might need to cut the pastry sheets to fit.
• You can also make this by layering the full sheets and the cheese filling directly into the pan or folding it into triangles, just like spanakopita.
• Add one sliced green onion to the cheese filling for a piquant flavor.
• Serve with a glass of buttermilk or extra sour cream on top.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

• Slovenian Vegetable and Cheese Pie
• Fillo Ricotta Bundt Pie
• Vegetable Pot Pie with Fillo Crust
• Fillo Pastry Fish and Chips

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2012 and updated in May of 2021 with new photos and recipe tips.