Semolina Cheese Bake
Semolina holds a cheese bake together better than flour: it swells and turns the moisture in the curd into structure rather than a puddle. But only if you give it time. Dry semolina stirred straight into the batter stays gritty in the finished bake; thirty minutes in kefir fixes that completely.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 30 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 330 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Buttermilk or unsweetened drinking yogurt work instead of kefir — the acid is what activates the baking powder.
Makes: one 20×20 cm tin, 6 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
Oven
180 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 160 °C
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Step 1: Soak the semolina
Stir the semolina into the kefir and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. The mixture thickens visibly — that is the grain taking up liquid so it will not crunch later.
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Step 2: Plump the raisins
Cover them with boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and pat dry. Dry raisins pull moisture out of the batter; plumped ones do not.
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Step 3: Check the curd
If the cheese is very wet, drain it in a cloth for 15 minutes. Semolina forgives more moisture than flour, but not unlimited amounts: a soupy curd will never rise.
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Step 4: Whisk the eggs
With a mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt for 2–3 minutes, until pale and foamy.
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Step 5: Mix the batter
Combine the cheese with the soaked semolina, pour in the melted butter, fold in the egg mixture, then the baking powder and raisins. It should be as thick as sour cream.
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Step 6: Bake
Spread it in a tin buttered and dusted with breadcrumbs. Bake at 180 °C for 40–45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the top is deep gold.
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Step 7: Let it settle
Leave it in the tin for 15 minutes. Semolina keeps absorbing moisture after the oven, so the final texture sets outside the heat.
Tips & variations
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Tip
If the soaked mixture looks too stiff, loosen it with another 2 tbsp of kefir; semolina swells differently depending on the grind.
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Swap
Buttermilk or unsweetened drinking yogurt work instead of kefir — the acid is what activates the baking powder.
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Variation
Use sliced dried apricots instead of raisins, or 150 g of chopped fresh apricots in season.
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Storage
Three days in the fridge. On day two it is firmer and slices more neatly than on baking day.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 330 kcal | 1,980 kcal |
| Protein | 17 g | 102 g |
| Fat | 11 g | 66 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g | 240 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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