Balkan Style Cornmeal Muffins with Feta (Projice sa Sirom)

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5 from 1 vote

Balkan Style Cornmeal Muffins with Feta (Projice sa Sirom)

Discover the secret to perfect Balkan-style cornmeal muffins infused with the tangy allure of feta cheese

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Resting time15

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Balkan

Servings: people

Calories: 571kcal

Author: Dr. Nena Stefanovic

Ingredients

1 cup flour all-purpose
2 cups cornmeal medium grind
1 teaspoon baking powder
salt to taste
0.6 lb feta cheese
1 ⅔ cups sparkling water
1 cup oil
3 eggs large

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 392°F (200°C), and grease the wells of the muffin pan with cooking spray.
Mix the dry ingredients, cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk three eggs with a fork until smooth.
Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, starting with sparkling water, oil, and beaten egg mixture. Note: you can safely cut the amount of oil to ½ cup or ⅔ cup; the muffins will be a little more dry but still delicious.
Stir with a spoon until combined.
Last, add crumbled feta cheese to the mixing bowl. You can break feta cheese with your fingers or use store-bought crumbled feta cheese.
You have two options here. You can fold the feta cheese with a spoon until well combined, or you can process the batter with cheese using a hand mixer to brake the crumbled feta into tiny pieces. The first option will give you the muffins with larger cheese pieces, while later will have cheese broken down and better incorporated into the batter.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each well about two-thirds full.
Bake in the middle of oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve these Balkan-style cornmeal savory muffins with feta or sour cream, cut red peppers, and prosciutto as a perfect breakfast, tasty snack, or side dish. They pair well with soups, salads or enjoyed on their own.
Note: The amount in this recipe is enough for about 16-18 muffins.

Video

Notes

Refer to the post above for common Q&A and pairing suggestions.
Nutrition information is an estimate and will depend on your specific ingredients.
Cornmeal - I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Medium Grind.
All-purpose flour - I you want to avoid using all-purpose flour, you can use whole wheat flour (I use it sometimes when making cornmeal muffins). It's generally recommended to use it in a 1:1 ratio. However, remember that the resulting muffins might be denser and have a more robust flavor.
Feta cheese - I used a block of feta in this recipe, but you can also purchase a crumbled feta at a grocery store.
Oil - in Balkan cuisine, it is typical to use sunflower oil. I used grapeseed oil in this recipe, but I also successfully used avocado oil and vegetable oil in the past. Even though I have never tried it, I wouldn't recommend using olive oil. I'm assuming it will have a more robust flavor. Note: you can safely cut the amount of oil to ½ cup or ⅔ cup; the muffins will be a little more dry but still delicious.

Nutrition