The most delicious household treats across the Balkans – Kiflice sa sirom, or Crescents with Cheese. Made with a soft yeast dough and often filled with a cheese or jam filling, kiflice are such a delightful home-baked treat. Pronounced “khee-flee-ce,” these dough crescents were always a popular treat in our house. They almost always got eaten within hours of coming out of the oven. While we often enjoy them in the evening, they can also be a beloved snack or accompaniment to meals, as well as a favourite choice for breakfast or brunch. Add a glass of drinkable yoghurt, and you have yourself a delicious, warm, comforting snack.
About this recipe
You may have seen my butter dough-based Easy Jam Crescents, which are delicious and a great holiday treat. However, soft, doughy kiflice are also one of my favourites. I have grown up eating kiflice my whole life. My favourite part was enjoying a warm plate of kiflice in the evening, especially ones filled with apricot jam. My brother and I would devour them while the jam was still warm and oozing out of the dough! So yummy!
But I also love savoury kiflice, especially ones filled with cheese! This recipe is made with a yeast-base dough combined with yoghurt and butter to make it extra soft to bite into. The filling is made from a combination of cream cheese and one egg. You could use feta cheese, which is more common, but I do love the softness of the cream cheese. Cream cheese is also a little bit more economical these days. The kiflice are then topped with sesame seeds for that extra savoury flavour. Yum!
Making the recipe
You will find that kiflice are a staple in Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian cuisine, but they are also popular in neighbouring countries as well. Therefore, different regions will have slight variations in how they make their kiflice. Some recipes use more eggs than others, maybe less butter or yoghurt. Personally, I like the dough to be as soft as possible.
To make the dough, combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and allow it to rise until foamy. In a separate, large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, Greek yoghurt, and butter. Once the yeast has risen, add it to the mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook or a wooden spatula, begin to combine all of the ingredients. Keep mixing the dough or kneading it by hand until you get a nice soft ball. Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot for 1–1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, combine the cream cheese with one whole egg. You can combine with a wooden spoon or a stand mixer (this is much easier). Set aside.
Shaping the kiflice
Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and divide it into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, set them aside, and cover with a towel. Working with 1 piece of dough ball at a time, dust the bench surface and dough with a little flour and roll out into a circle until thin but not tearing. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 4 pieces (like a pizza) and then cut each piece in half. You should end up with eight triangles. Place the cheese filling at the wider end of each piece. Fold each edgy side of the wider part of the triangle onto the cream cheese and roll until you have a croissant-shaped roll. Place the kiflice on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Repeat the above steps until you have used up the remaining three pieces of dough. You should end up with 32 pieces of kiflice. Allow the kiflice to rise for a further 20–30 minutes. Lastly, glaze each kiflice with some egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake!
Looking for more?
If you are looking for more ideas, try one of the recipes below:
Walnut Meringue Crescents / Orasnice
I hope that you enjoy making these delicious Kiflice sa sirom / Crescents with cheese. Leave a comment below and let me know if you try this recipe. If you have a moment, please leave this recipe a rating. If you have any questions, you can find me over on Instagram or tag me with your photo. You can also find a video for this recipe over on TikTok.
Kiflice sa sirom / Crescents with cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a small bowl, add the warm milk, instant dry yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix and leave in a warm place to rise (about 5 minutes).
In the large bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix. Make a well in the middle and add the Greek yoghurt, one whole egg, and the melted butter. Once the yeast has risen, pour it into the mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, begin to mix the dough until it starts to separate from the bowl. (Alternatively, you can begin mixing the dough with a wooden spoon, and after a minute or two, transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and knead the dough until a nice soft ball forms.)
Place the dough on a lightly floured bench surface and knead it into a smooth bowl. While the mixing bowl is empty, grease it with some oil and place the dough back into the bowl. Slightly grease the top of the dough with some oil so that it does not dry out. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size (this takes about 1–1.5 hours).The filling
While the dough is resting, make the filling. In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese and 1 whole egg. Using a spoon or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and the egg until you get a nice creamy consistency. Set this aside.
Shaping the kiflice
Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and divide it into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, set them aside, and cover with a towel. Taking one piece of dough at a time, dust the bench surface and dough with a little flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out in a circle, a few millimetres thick but not too thin so that it does not tear.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut each circle into 4 pieces (like a pizza) and then cut each piece in half. You should end up with eight triangles. Place the cheese filling on the wider end of each piece. Fold each side of the wider part of the triangle onto the cream cheese and roll until you have a croissant-shaped roll (see photo 3 above). Transfer them carefully to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat the above steps until you have used up the remaining three pieces of dough. You should end up with 32 pieces of kiflice. Allow them to rise for a further 20–30 minutes before baking.Glaze & bake
While the kiflice rise, pre-heat the oven to 190 C. Lightly brush each kiflice with the mixed egg yolks and top with as many sesame seeds as you like. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Once baked, allow the kiflice to slightly cool and serve while they are warm. Enjoy!
Recipe notes
Kiflice are best when consumed on the same day, freshly baked. They can be stored for 1-2 days in a sealed container at room temperature.
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