Prekmurska Gibanica

Prekmurska Gibanica

A celebrated layered Slovenian pastry from the Prekmurje region, traditionally built with four fillings — poppy seed, walnut, apple, and ricotta — stacked between thin strudel leaves. It is rich, dense, and serves a crowd at festive tables.

Prep

60 min

Cook

60 min

Total

120 min

Serves

10

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) strudel pastry sheets (filo), fresh homemade or store-bought filo; keep covered with a damp cloth so they don't dry out
• •200 g (7 oz) fresh full-fat ricotta, traditionally skuta or cottage cheese, drained in a sieve 30 minutes
• •200 g (7 oz) ground poppy seeds, use a spice grinder or buy pre-ground
• •200 g (7 oz) ground walnuts
• •800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tart apples, peeled, cored, grated (e.g. Boskop or Granny Smith)
• •200 g (1 cup / 7 oz) sugar, divided across the four fillings
• •60 g (½ cup / 2 oz) raisins, optional, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• •1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
• •1 tbsp lemon zest, from 1 unwaxed lemon
• •100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the leaves
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1½ tbsp) whole milk, for soaking the poppy seed filling
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs, size L; one for the ricotta filling, one for brushing the top
• •1 pinch fine salt
• •1 tbsp sour cream, to mix into the ricotta filling

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (fan 160°C). Butter a 24 x 34 cm (9½ x 13 in) baking dish generously.
2. 2 Make the poppy seed filling: bring the milk to a gentle simmer, add the ground poppy seeds, 50 g sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens into a soft paste. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. 3 Make the walnut filling: stir together the ground walnuts, 50 g sugar, the drained raisins, and 2 tbsp of the melted butter. Set aside.
4. 4 Make the apple filling: toss the grated apples with 50 g sugar, the lemon zest, and vanilla. Let stand 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid so the leaves don't go soggy.
5. 5 Make the ricotta filling: beat the drained ricotta with 1 egg, 50 g sugar, and 1 tbsp sour cream until smooth and creamy.
6. 6 Assemble the gibanica: divide the pastry sheets into four equal portions (keep the unused sheets covered). Brush the bottom of the dish with butter. Layer the first portion of leaves, brushing each with melted butter as you go. All eight layers per section must be buttered — never skip.
7. 7 Spread the poppy seed filling evenly over the first leaf stack. Top with the second portion of leaves (butter each one). Spread the walnut filling. Top with the third portion of leaves (butter each one). Spread the apple filling. Top with the fourth portion of leaves (butter each one). Finally, spread the ricotta filling on top.
8. 8 Crown the gibanica with the last quarter of leaves, brushing each with melted butter as before. Brush the very top with the second beaten egg for a glossy finish.
9. 9 Bake on the middle rack for 55–60 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and crisp. If it browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
10. 10 Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing — this is essential, as the layers need to set. Slice into 12 squares with a serrated knife. Serve at room temperature, ideally the next day once the flavours have melded. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.