#7 Mostly finishing second floor and baking traditional Bulgarian banitsa

Our plan is to finish second floor by the end of the year and we are pushing forward. With floors and stairs leveled and ready for flooring (which was not extensively filmed), we primed and painted walls and ceilings and stacked up laminate packs, so they can settle down in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we bought a pair of socialist vintage wooden lounge chairs that needed some restoration. Very few things remain yet to be done now, before we call it a year.
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Traditional Bulgarian recipe
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Banitsa, my father's recipe
Banitsa is one of the dishes Bulgaria is known and recognized for. Very delicious and universal pastry, with dozens of variations. This is yet the simplest version, perfected by my father through the years and slightly modified by me.
Ingredients (for 8 servings, or 4, if served hot 😵‍💫):
* a pack of filo pastry sheets (400g)
* 3 eggs (4, if using 500g sheet pack)
* 300g white cheese (we use traditional Bulgarian cheese, but feta is also fine)
* vegetable oil (sunflower oil is traditionally used in Bulgaria)
* 100g butter
* 350 ml sparkling water/club soda (450, if using 500g sheet pack)
* 100 ml Fanta (my modification, you can go with 450 ml of sparkling water/club soda instead)
* dried savory and thyme (my modification, can be skipped)
Grease the bottom of a baking tray with butter. Place two filo sheets. Sprinkle some vegetable oil and spread it either by hand or brush. That's what gives the specific crunch, so if you are not as lazy as I am, you can oil every single sheet for best results 🙃 Crush white cheese. Add two sheets on top and repeat the process, adding little pieces of butter between sheets here and there, as you go. Place final two sheets on top and pierce all the way to the bottom with a sharp knife at 40-50 places all around the tray.
Whisk 3 eggs in a bowl. You can add savory and/or thyme at this point. No need to add salt, as traditional white cheese is salty enough. Pour 350 ml of sparkling water/club soda + 100 ml of Fanta or just 450 ml of sparkling water/club soda. Back in the 80's and early 90's, there was a common soft drink called limonada that was used instead, but it no longer tastes the same, so I substitute it with Fanta for a tiny touch of sweetness. Pour mixture in tray and make sure it's evenly distributed and absorbed all the way to the bottom, through holes punctured earlier. Don't worry if it looks way too much, it will magically disappear. Spread some butter on top as a final touch. You can leave it like this in the fridge overnight and bake it in the morning, just make sure to take it out one hour in advance.
Preheat oven at 220°C / 430°F. Place tray on lowest rack and bake until top layer becomes golden (usually takes 30-40 minutes). Lower temperature to 200°C / 390°F and bake for 20-30 more minutes or until it is brown and crusty. Remove tray from oven, cover with cloth and let cool down for 15 minutes. Banitsa is typically served with plain yogurt or boza, but goes well with tea, coffee and soft drinks all the same.
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[@edel6775]

Lovely and soothing.... until 19 seconds in 😅