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Serbian Cheese Kiflice with Soft Yeast Dough and Sesame
Kiflice sa sirom are small savoury crescent rolls built around two contrasts: a soft yeast-raised crumb and a salty, crumbly cheese centre. The dough needs enough enrichment to stay tender but not so much fat that it handles like pastry. Milk, a little water, sunflower oil and egg give softness while ordinary wheat flour supplies the gluten structure needed for rolling narrow wedges.
Serbian household versions vary widely. Some layer butter or margarine between dough rounds; others use yoghurt, sour milk or richer egg quantities. This version stays with a straightforward enriched yeast dough so the important skills are easy to see: correct liquid temperature, restrained flour addition, full first proof, even wedge cutting and a short second proof after shaping.
Fresh yeast is dispersed in liquid at 35–37 °C. That range is warm enough to start activity without subjecting the yeast to damaging heat. The flour is not dumped in blindly. Most goes in at first, and the reserved portion is used only as needed during kneading. The finished dough should feel soft and only slightly tacky; a stiff, dry ball is already a warning that the baked kiflice may be dense.
The first rise is judged by volume and feel rather than a clock alone. Around 60 minutes is typical in a warm kitchen, but the more useful cue is roughly doubled volume and a finger indentation that returns slowly. After that, three dough balls become three circles, each cut into eight wedges. A compact filling of white brined cheese and egg is placed at the wide end before each wedge is rolled toward its point.
Seam placement solves a common shaping problem. Every crescent sits seam-side down on the tray, which uses the weight of the roll to keep it closed during the second rise. Fifteen minutes is enough for the shaped pieces to become visibly puffy. They should not double again; over-proofed small rolls can spread, leak filling and lose their neat crescent profile.
The yolk glaze and sesame go on just before baking at 200 °C. The oven's initial heat gives a final burst of expansion, then sets the surface into a deep golden crust. After 25 minutes, the tops and bases should both be browned and the seams fixed. Because the rolls contain cheese and egg, cool what is not being eaten promptly and refrigerate at 4 °C or colder rather than keeping a filled batch on the table all day.