There is one bread that my grandmother, Yeranuhe Nanny, made that was truly outstanding — Banerov Hatz (Cheese-Onion Flatbread) — another one of her labor-of-love recipes.
You knew a special event was just around the corner when Nanny started to chop so many onions. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
If you’ve never heard of Banerov Hatz, picture this: rectangular pizza dough rolled as thin or thick as you like, then smothered with some of the cheese-onion topping, baked until the dough is slightly crisp on the edges and golden on the bottom, the onions are tender, and the cheese is soft and slightly melted. The aroma is heavenly – and the taste, even better!
(FYI: My personal preference: thin crust.)
Banerov Hatz
A classic cheese-onion flatbread recipe from Musa Dagh
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. dry, active yeast
- 1 5-lb. bag all-purpose flour (sifted)
- ½ cup oil (olive oil or vegetable oil can be used)
- 1½ tsp. salt
- water – about 5 cups (Do not add water all at once!)
Cheese-Onion Topping Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. cottage cheese (small curd)
- 4-5 lbs. onions (finely chopped)
- 4 oz. blue cheese (crumbled)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- ½ tsp. EACH of cumin, allspice, paprika
- 3 Tbsp. dried oregano (crushed)
- 3 Tbsp. red pepper paste (Sold in Middle Eastern stores. 3 Tbsp.Tomato paste mixed with 1/2 tsp. paprika can be substituted)
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
Directions for Dough Preparation:
- Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup lukewarm water.
- In large bowl combine sifted flour, oil, salt, dissolved yeast, and enough water to make a smooth dough. (The amount of water you use isn’t exact. There may be some trial-and error involved here.)
- Knead dough for 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl.
- Lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover, and let rise for 30 minutes to one hour.
- Punch down dough. Divide dough into 7 balls, keeping them covered until ready to use.
Topping Directions:
- Combine cottage cheese and the red pepper paste to achieve a reddish color.
- In a separate large bowl add onions, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and seasonings, mixing well.
- Add the cottage cheese mixture and stir well to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
Assembling Directions:
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet with one-inch sides. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll the dough into a rectangular shape large enough to fit into the baking sheet. Press dough with fingers to fit, if necessary.
- Spread some cheese filling on the dough to about 1/4-inch from the dough's edge.
- Bake until dough is golden brown on the bottom and around the edges (approx. 20 minutes).
- Continue this procedure until all 7 loaves are done.
- Cool each loaf completely on wire racks.
- To serve: cut into large squares (roughly 3“x3“).
- To store: completely cool, cut each loaf into squares. Wrap several squares in plastic wrap without stacking them, then place in freezer bags, and freeze. When ready to serve, defrost in the refrigerator, then heat in a 350°F oven until warm.
Notes
Short on time? Buy prepared pizza dough from your local grocery store! You’ll need several packages, though.
The cheese filling can be made a day in advance.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
(Visited 1,005 times, 1 visits today)
This sounds so yummy. Would the original recipe have used another cheese for which blue cheese is a substitute? Also: Is this served as a meal? A side dish? A snack? It truly sounds like Armenian pizza to me.
at 2006, I was in Turin, Italy , participating to an international seminar of the organization SLOW FOOD. I was presenting our traditional cheese SOORKI & this recipe BANRE HUTS. An itallian ethnographist had told me, that the origin of pizza is like banre huts. the humble people had only simple ingredients, like curd, tomato pasta, onion, olive oil, oregano & spices.They had mix all those & put on the bread dough & cook in the oven. After centuries, the other ingredients had started to use for pizza.
This was a specialty bread that my grandmother made for holidays and special occasions. She called it "boonderoom hootz", in her Armenian (Musa Daghtsi)dialect. It was served as an appetizer mostly, but we loved to eat it whenever we could get our hands on it!
this sounds delcious except the blue cheese doesnt sound very armenian nor parmesan and oregano..? did she use that in place of feta and parsley maybe or mint ?
I truly don't know why Nanny used blue cheese and parmesan. I suppose she picked these ingredients because she liked how they tasted, and they were readily available in her new homeland, America.
Blue cheese and Parmesano combined will imitate the taste of our ancesral cheese – 'soorki or chucalick' which is aged and somewhat similar to the french rockfort cheese.
you can mix farmer cheese mixed paprika, cayanne and age it for some ten fifiteen days to form a fungus, and use in the banir hatz
dear Anonymous, are you Musadaghsi? because only musadaghians' & the people from Andiyok prepare soorki.
I'm from Anjar (Musadagh), but I lived in Syria. Syrian Armenians also know the chukalik or surki, because Arabs also make it and call it shinglish.
Thanks for this very interesting ancestral cheese information!
yes I am mousadaghsi – I grew up in Anjar Lebanon, Ihave been in the united States for forty years – soorki is still my favorite cheese and banirov hatz is top of the line:)
I'm so happy to hear that, I'm also Musadaghtsi, from Ainjar. now for 22 years I'm living in Armenia, you can visit my website http://www.sonia.am to read more recipes of musadaghians. best regards.
My grandmother made the best cheese-onion bread I ever ate. I've tried to replicate but Grandma's always put a secret something in everything they cook. I will try this recipe but we use pot cheese instead of cottage cheese.