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By Linda Capeloto Sendowski

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Bulemas

By Linda Capeloto Sendowski 12 Comments

Bulemas or Boyus, depending on what town your grandparents came from, are spirals of stuffed dough, baked in the oven until crisp.  Spinach and cheese filling is my favorite.  Yeast dough is stretched until, it is a long rectangle, then filled, rolled into a cylinder, sealed at the ends, and coiled into a nest.  They are traditionally served as part of a Sabbath or Holiday lunch. They freeze and reheat very well.

Filling:

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 1

2 nine ounce packages of prewashed baby spinach

16 ounces of crumbled feta cheese

6 ounces of grated Kasseri cheese

1 and ½ cup of grated Parmesano Reggiano

Dough:

2 cups of warm water

1 packages of rapid rise yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup of olive oil

6 cups of better for bread flour

Spreading the dough  and topping the coils.

3/4 cup olive oil

1 cup of grated Parmesano Reggiano

Yield is approximately 25 bulemas

Proof the yeast in the warm water with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a medium bowl.  When the top of the yeast is foaming, add the oil to the water.  In a large food processor, add 3 cups of the flour and salt.  Pulse the flour to combine.  Add yeast and water mixture to the processor and process until smooth.  Add the rest of the flour, and process for approximately 60 seconds until a smooth ball forms and pulls away from the sides.  Remove the dough from the processor. The dough should be soft but not sticky.  Set the dough in an olive oil lined bowl in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, around 1 to 2 hours.  Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a draft free area while it is rising.

While waiting for the dough to rise prepare the spinach filling.  Chop the dry prewashed spinach into small pieces.  Place the spinach in a large bowl and add the crumbled feta cheese.  Toss to combine, add in the grated cheeses.  Toss all the ingredients together.  You will not need salt in the filling since the cheeses are quite sharp.

When the dough has raised enough, punch it down.  Roll the dough into a long cylinder and slice into 25 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and flatten them for easier roll out.

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 2a half-size Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 2b half-size

After greasing your hands with olive oil, place a ball of dough on an oiled stone or wood surface.  Begin to stretch with greased palms of hands or a wood rolling pin.  Roll each ball of dough into long rectangle shape, about 4 inches by 8 inches.

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 3

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 4 half-size

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 5 half-size

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 6

Picture of Spinach Bulemas, Step 7 half-size

Spread a generous amount of the filling down the middle length wise.  Roll length wise to create a long, narrow, cylinder shape.  Pinch the ends for a tight seal and coil the cylinder into a nest.  Place coiled nests on a baking sheet.  Use a silicone baking sheet liner for easier clean up.  The coils won’t stick and the baking sheets don’t get as dirty.  Continue stretching, filling, and rolling.  Sprinkle the tops of the coils with a good amount of the grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375º until golden brown and crunchy.  Remove them from the baking sheets to a cooling rack.  Cool on a cooling rack to keep the bottoms crisp.  These may be frozen and reheated.  Be sure to lay them single layer when reheating.

Filed Under: Baking, Breakfast, Cookbook, Holidays Tagged With: boyos, boyuz, bulema, cheese, cheese filled pastry, feta, kasseri, Sephardic, spinach

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mimi says

    October 1, 2009 at 2:30 PM

    The bulemas look delicious! I bookmarked the recipe. I’ll have to try them someday.

  2. Erna Levine says

    October 2, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    Wow, what a great website – your food looks amazing. Can’t wait to try the bulemas – your borekas were the best. Keep up the good work.

  3. Sally says

    October 20, 2009 at 10:59 PM

    Thank you for the bulemas recipe also I love that you have pictures really helps try recipies of the ‘unknown’

  4. Michaeal Nissenbaum says

    December 14, 2009 at 12:58 PM

    What a fabulous website. The recipes are terrific and the pictures make it very easy to follow the directions. I am impressing my friends with my new repertoire of dishes. Thank you Linda for bringing back the memories of my mothers Sephardic kitchen.

  5. theborekadiary says

    December 17, 2009 at 12:08 AM

    Hi Michael, I am so glad you looked at my blog. I wll keep posting the old favorites. Linda

  6. Jennifer says

    January 2, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    I noticed in your recipe that you have listed 1/2 cup olive oil and then 3/4c olive oil.
    I am thinking you added the 1/2 c to the yeast proof, but where does the 3/4c get added?

    These look amazing and I know they would go over well at a family get together.
    Thank you for posting!

  7. Linda Capeloto Sendowski says

    January 2, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Dear Jen, so sorry for the confusion. The first oil measurement is for making the dough. The second measurement is for spreading on the work surface and and stretching the dough with your hands before filling the coils. Regards, Linda

  8. Razinah says

    April 19, 2011 at 7:36 PM

    This is so amazing to see. A friend taught me how to make bulemas when we were teenagers, and we made them just like this, including lots of oil! My friend had learned to make them from her grandmother, who also told her they should always be served with hard-boiled eggs. I continued to make them for years, but it’s been a long while since I have. Now I’m inspired…they’re the best!

  9. Lily B says

    March 29, 2012 at 3:23 AM

    Being a Sephardic Jew in Mexico wasn’t easy for me, as I used to eat very different food from the rest of my friends. My grandmother used to prepare amazing feasts serving Bulemas, Agristadas and other dishes. I’m so thrilled to finally found an incredible source filled with childhood memories for me and now I can cook for my husband and family ! Thank you Linda for the recipes!

Trackbacks

  1. Rosa o serpente? | londarmonica says:
    September 18, 2012 at 2:57 PM

    […] trovo geniale e spettacolare. Altre ricette che utilizzano questa forma avvolta sono le Bulemas (qui) e le Rodanchas (qui). Ed ecco così scartare una pasta brisée oppure una pasta sfoglia e […]

  2. Rosa o serpente? | londarmonica says:
    October 29, 2016 at 4:15 AM

    […] trovo geniale e spettacolare. Altre ricette che utilizzano questa forma avvolta sono le Bulemas (qui) e le Rodanchas (qui). Ed ecco così scartare una pasta brisée oppure una pasta sfoglia e […]

  3. Salud y vida | Le pentole e i testi says:
    October 30, 2016 at 1:59 AM

    […] Se invece la pasta la fate a mano, sarà più divertente. Dalla pagina di Linda: […]

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Hi, I’m Linda. In my kosher kitchen I cook both Sephardic and Ashkenazi dishes.

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