Syrnyky and Cheese Bakes

Baked Syrnyky

Baked syrnyky keep their shape for a simple reason: in a pan the edges soften in hot fat before the middle sets, while dry oven heat firms the surface on every side at once. There is no oil and no sugar here — curd, eggs, oat flour and a spoonful of honey.

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Baked Syrnyky — the finished dish
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Total
45 min
Servings
3
Level
Easy
Per serving
335 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a coffee grinder to the texture of fine sand.

Makes: 9 syrnyky, 3 portions

Method

  1. Step 1: Test the curd for moisture

    Squeeze a handful of cheese in your fist. If whey runs between your fingers, tip the lot into a cloth and let it drain for 20 minutes. That water comes back out in the oven and flattens the syrnyky into pancakes.

  2. Step 2: Make the curd smooth

    Push it through a sieve or blitz it with a stick blender. Grainy curd binds badly: every lump is a fault line the syrnyk will split along.

  3. Step 3: Mix the batter

    Stir in the eggs, honey, zest and salt, then the oat flour. Use a spatula rather than a mixer — over-beating makes the mixture sticky.

  4. Step 4: Check the consistency

    With wet hands roll a little of the mixture into a ball. If it holds and does not slump, you are done. If it spreads, add another 10–15 g of flour and test again. Stop after two additions or the syrnyky turn rubbery.

  5. Step 5: Shape them

    With wet hands roll nine equal balls and flatten each to about 2 cm thick. Thicker ones stay raw in the middle, thinner ones dry out.

  6. Step 6: Bake

    Set them on baking paper brushed with a little oil and bake at 190 °C for 22–25 minutes. Turn them at the 15-minute mark so both sides brown evenly.

  7. Step 7: Serve warm

    Let them sit on the tray for 5 minutes: straight from the oven they are still soft inside and break when you lift them. Serve with Greek yogurt.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Oat flour absorbs moisture more slowly than wheat. If the mixture looks loose, wait 10 minutes before adding more flour.

  • Swap

    Make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a coffee grinder to the texture of fine sand.

  • Variation

    Fold in 2 tbsp of chopped walnuts, or a handful of blueberries added last and very gently.

  • Storage

    Three days in the fridge. Reheat at 160 °C for 6–7 minutes; the microwave turns them rubbery.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 3 servings
Energy335 kcal1,005 kcal
Protein30 g90 g
Fat11 g33 g
Carbohydrates27 g81 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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