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Halloumi-Graviera Pull-aparts

Halloumi-Graviera Pull-aparts

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Halloumi-graviera pull-aparts are individual filled bread placed next to each other and baked, so that when baked they join into one large bread which can easily be separated by pulling each piece apart.

Collage cheesy Greek Pull-aparts image

When I saw this recipe at Choosy Beggars, I knew I would like it, since halloumi is a cheese indigenous to Cyprus, where I come from and which I adore.

Halloumi-Graviera Pull-aparts image

I knew that anything with halloumi in it  would definitely be great.

Cutting bread while hot image

Halloumi is made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep milk, and it has a high melting point, and so it can easily be fried or grilled

Although Wikipedia says that halloumi resembles to mozarella, I totally disagree, as the two cheeses cannot compare.

Tina’s recipe reminded me of a similar recipe we make in Cyprus, called halloumopita or tyropita (depending on the cheese we use) but which however, does not have any garlic in it and we do not add the olive oil on the dough but we add spry shortening in the dough.

Halloumopita halloumi bread

We make these as big or small individual breads especially during Easter when we make flaounes

When grating the cheeses to make flaounes, there are always some leftover bits and pieces of cheese which we mix into the dough.

I still have a lot of recipes from Easter which I have not posted and hope to do this soon, so for the time being here is a glimpse of halloumopita.

Back to Tina’s recipe.   I did not follow Tina’s recipe exactly so instead of adding halloumi and mozarella, I preferred another Greek cheese, called graviera of Crete.

Graviera of Crete is a traditional Greek cheese which is exclusively manufactured in Crete from ewe’s milk or mixtures with small quantities of goat’s milk.

It is ripened for at least for 5 months and it has a slightly sweet taste and is harder than Graviera of Naxos, which is made with cow’s milk.

Also, instead of adding parsley, I preferred to pair it with mint, as halloumi and mint pair perfectly together and did not use too much garlic. 

I did not have any nigella seeds so I sprinkled some fennel seeds and sesame seeds on top.

Although I was reluctant to use the garlic, they turned out really good and we loved them.

I have also made these pull-aparts with graviera and feta (no garlic, no mint) with pepper and these were also amazing!

Collage halloumi graviera pull-aparts image

Pull-aparts with other cheeses

(Update:  2017)

Since then, I have made these pull-aparts countless of times with different cheeses.

Sometimes I made them with a combination of up to five different Greek cheeses (halloumi, graviera, feta, kasseri, katiki Domokou, or galotyri, the two latter both Greek cheeses are soft), but also with other cheeses such as mozzarella, gouda, , buffalo cheese, etc.

You can read about these cheeses in another post.

Turmeric pull-aparts image
Turmeric pull-aparts

On one occasion I used feta, graviera, galotyri and tyrokafteri, which had a little kick, as tyrokafteri is hot, which made them irresistible!

Pull-aparts with feta graviera and tyrokafteri pepper and a little milk image
Pull-aparts with feta graviera and tyrokafteri with poppy seeds on top

When I put a variety of cheeses inside, I add some milk in the mixture and mix them so that the cheese mixture becomes solid.

The reason I do this is that more cheese goes in and when the pull-aparts are baked and the cheeses melt, the bread is not left hollow inside.

halloumi feta pull-aparts inage

The decoration above was made with a kitchen scissors, making small cuts around each bread.

Flattening the dough by hand

The dough is the same I make for pizza. However, plan making the dough from the previous day, put it in a large bowl as it will double in volume and let it rise overnight in the fridge.

You will surprised how fluffy and delicious that the dough will be.

Graviera feta pull-aparts image

At the beginning, I used a dowel to flatten the dough.

However, after making them so many times, I tried the same method of making shiamishi, so it’s easy to do this if you wet the dough with olive oil.

The dough becomes elastic and flattens very easily by hand.

You can watch me doing this in the video.

feta andhalloumi pull-aparts image

Individual Bread Rolls

(Update:  August, 2018)

A nice treat to serve with coffee or tea is to make them into small buns.

Instead of making pull-aparts, I made individual cheese-filled bread, which I bake in cup cake baking trays.

You can use any combination of cheeses you like. I filled these ones with graviera and feta, added some dried mint and black pepper as well as two eggs.

The dough is the same and for each bread I weighed the dough to be 40 grams.

Graviera and feta mini bread rolls image

On top I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled some sesame seeds.  I baked them in a convection oven to 180 degrees Centigrade, for 20 minutes.

Mini cheese bread image

I am sending this recipe to Cinzia of Cindystar, who is hosting this months Bread Baking Day #19, Spring Country Breads.

Pull-aparts with feta graviera and tyrokafteri pepper and a little milk image

Halloumi-Graviera Pull-aparts

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Halloumi-graviera pull-aparts are individual filled bread placed next to each other and baked so that when baked they join into one large bread which can easily be separated by pulling each piece.

Ingredients

Pizza dough:

  • 500 grams all-purpose flour or mixed with bread flour
  • 8 grams (0.28 oz) active dry yeast or 25 gr fresh yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Filling:

  • 300 grams halloumi, grated
  • 300 grams graviera, grated
  • 2 tbsp dried mint or ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)

For topping:

  • 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and add water and knead until the dough does not stick on your hands or the bowl.
  2. When the dough is ready, cover it with the 2 tbsp of olive oil and make sure it goes everywhere. Cover with cling film and a towel and allow to rise for about half an hour. See video for Pizza Dough.
  3. In the meantime grate the cheese and add the mint and garlic and mix.
  4. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead and divide it into 20 - 25 equal parts, depending on how big you want them to be. There will be some oil left in the bowl, which do not discard.
  5. Using your fingers flatten each piece into a round disc about 10 cm (4 inches).
  6. Add a generous spoonful of cheese mixture.
  7. Gather up the sides of your dough circle, and pinch the top together to enclose the filling.
  8. Brush a baking tin with the leftover olive oil and invert the filled dough in the pan, closely next to each other.
  9. Brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle some fennel and sesame seeds on top.
  10. Cover with cling film and a clean towel and allow to rise again (about half an hour).
  11. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180o C / 350o F and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Notes

Resting time about half an hour to three hours, depending on the room temperature.

Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 242Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 15mgSodium 267mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 9g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Pizza Dough Creations

Here are a few recipes you can make using pizza dough.

Collage Halloumi-Graviera Pull-aparts image

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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dave

Thursday 23rd of June 2011

I just made a batch of halloumi and can't wait to use some of it in this recipe. Thanks!

Ivy

Saturday 13th of November 2010

You will find the recipe in my cookbook "Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste! which will be published soon. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

almit

Saturday 13th of November 2010

espases mas na evroume to recipe yia thn elioti. Where is the dough for pies recipe. GRRRR!!!! :))

tasteofbeirut

Tuesday 24th of November 2009

I love this recipe! It holds special meaning for me because when I was evacuated from Lebanon during the summer of 2007 (that was during the Israeli war on the country) I boarded an Egyptian cargo ship and we landed in Larnaca and the trip took 18 hours (instead of 6) and the first thing we were handed by the Cypriot authorities was water and some of that bread. Besides I love halloum cheese , it is super popular in Lebanon

Trish Lathourakis

Wednesday 6th of May 2009

These look fantastic Ivy, I am sitting at my desk with a very bare salad (whatever was left in the fridge), but I am mouthwatering over this recipe :)

Trish Lathourakis's last blog post..A night in Lebanon

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