Parzheni Filiiki
Пържени филийки·(par-zhe-ni fi-liy-ki)
Bapche's Breakfasts & Popara Mornings
She slices half-stale white bread, dunks the pieces into beaten eggs, and drops them into a hot oiled skillet until the egg-soaked crust hisses. Saturday mornings in a Bulgarian home smell like hot oil, sizzling eggs, and the sharp tang of white brine cheese. This golden-fried bread comes from grandmothers who knew the secret to a perfectly crisp, oil-repelling crust was a single spoonful of flour whisked into the batter. Pull it from the pan, cover it in crumbled sirene cheese, and serve hot with alternating bites of salty feta and sweet sour cherry preserves.
Before you start
Stale the bread.
If your bread is too fresh, lay the slices out on a wire rack on the counter the night before to dry out so they hold their structure when battered.
Make the flour paste.
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the flour with a splash of the milk until you have a smooth, lump-free slurry.
Finish the batter.
Whisk the remaining milk, eggs, and salt into the flour paste vigorously until the mixture is a uniform, pale yellow liquid.
Ingredients
- hearty white bread slices8 med
- eggs3 large
- whole milk100 ml
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- salt1/4 tsp
- sunflower oil1/3 cup
- feta cheese4 oz
- sour cherry preserves1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet.
Place a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add enough sunflower oil to coat the bottom about a quarter-inch deep, letting it heat until a drop of the batter instantly sizzles and dances.
- 02
Dip the bread briefly.
Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, dip a slice of stale bread into the batter for just two to three seconds per side to coat the exterior without turning the crumb into a soggy sponge.
- 03
Fry to a golden crisp.
Carefully lay the coated slices into the hot oil and fry for about one and a half to two minutes on the first side, until deeply golden brown and a protective crust forms.
- 04
Flip and finish frying.
Turn the slices and fry for another minute or so on the second side, then transfer immediately to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any surface oil.
- 05
Serve hot with cheese and preserves.
Bring the slices to the table immediately with the feta and sour cherry preserves, letting everyone construct their own alternating bites of salty, hot, crispy, and sweet.
Notes
Do not substitute the oil for butter.
Butter burns at the temperatures needed to flash-fry the egg batter; sunflower oil has a high smoke point and provides the authentic, slightly savory flavor profile intrinsic to Balkan cooking.
Resist the urge to sweeten the batter.
Authentic Parzheni Filiiki batter is strictly savory, containing only salt. The necessary sweetness is applied exclusively after frying via the fruit preserves.