Knysza

Knysza (Polish Cheesy Garlic Bread)

Knysza is a beloved Polish street food: a split, toasted bread roll filled with a bubbling mixture of melty cheese, sweet onions and pungent garlic butter. Traditionally cooked on a flat griddle until crisp on the outside and molten within.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •4 whole bread rolls (kajzerki or similar soft white rolls), plain white crusty rolls work; a sourdough boule can be used as a substitute
• •200 g (7 oz) Gouda cheese, grated, the traditional Polish choice; Edam or a mild semi-hard yellow cheese are common substitutes
• •100 g (3½ oz) twaróg (Polish curd cheese) or full-fat ricotta, twaróg is traditional; ricotta is the closest substitute
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• •1 large onion, finely diced, white or yellow
• •3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) dried marjoram, essential Polish herb; do not skip
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •1 g (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) neutral oil, for the pan, or clarified butter

Steps

1. 1 Make the garlic-onion butter: melt 30 g (2 tbsp) of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. 2 In a bowl, mash the cooled onion-garlic butter with the remaining softened butter, marjoram, salt and pepper until evenly combined.
3. 3 In a separate bowl, mix the grated Gouda with the twaróg (or ricotta) until you have a thick, spreadable paste.
4. 4 Slice each roll in half horizontally (open it like a book) without cutting all the way through, leaving a hinge. Spread the garlic-onion butter generously over all cut surfaces.
5. 5 Spoon and spread the cheese mixture evenly onto the bottom half of each roll, then press the top half back down, closing the bread.
6. 6 Heat the oil on a heavy flat griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat (around 180 °C / 350 °F). Place the stuffed rolls on the griddle and press down gently with a spatula.
7. 7 Cook 4-5 minutes per side, pressing occasionally, until the bread is deeply golden and crisp and the cheese inside is fully melted and bubbling at the edges. To check doneness, lift a corner: the bread should be toasted brown and the cheese should ooze when pressed.
8. 8 Transfer to a board, let rest 1 minute (cheese is very hot), then slice each roll into 2-3 pieces and serve immediately while the cheese is molten.