When Irina Georgescu was a child, once a year, she would visit family in Tau, a village near Alba Iulia in Transylvania. She remembers playing outside with cousins and siblings, all of the kids swarming around her aunt’s outdoor oven to get a taste of the first fresh placinte pies, a stuffed flatbread popular throughout Romania.

To make them, a simple yeasted dough, often slightly sweetened, is rolled, filled and folded into a packet before it’s baked on a stone or pan-fried on a skillet or griddle. “Placinte are the symbol of Romanian baking, whether filled and folded like these flatbreads or in their rectangular version, which sandwiches a filling between two layers of dough leaving the sides open,” Georgescu says, noting that each region has its own style. “Their name and style of preparation are testimony of our ancient history, influenced by Greek and Roman colonies, that left their mark on our Romanian language and cooking.”

The fillings can be almost anything, sweet or savory. Locally made cheeses — creamy, brined or hard — are a popular stuffing. In Transylvania, the pies are called pupuri and are filled with cabbage and sometimes potatoes. Sweet versions are often stuffed with magiun, a plum butter, or curd cheese, such as this variation, from Georgescu’s cookbook, “Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania & Beyond.” Sometimes the soft cheese is sweetened with sugar or honey before it’s folded into the dough; sometimes the pies are drizzled with honey or sprinkled with powdered sugar after they’re cooked.

Historically, flatbreads were more popular in Romania than larger loaves of dense, leavened bread because they cook more quickly and “were a way to use leftover dough and make the most of the remaining heat of the oven to provide a quick lunch for the bakers,” Georgescu says.

Though these breads take longer to make than a sheet-pan dinner, they’re easier than you might think. If you’ve never worked with yeasted dough before, this one couldn’t be easier to mix, knead and roll. It makes a fun weekend project for a satisfying brunch, lunch or dinner.

I asked Georgescu how she would turn these perfect packages into a more filling meal, and she said she likes to serve the cheese-filled breads with a creamy potato salad and simple tomato salad drizzled with fruity and nutty sunflower oil. I can also see them being great with eggs over medium, roasted mushrooms dressed in a vinaigrette, slices of ham, a rotisserie chicken or a bowl of saucy beans.

Romanian Griddle Breads With Cheese and Honey

Total time: 1 hour , plus 1 hour rising time

2 to 4 servings (makes 6 griddle breads)

Flatbread pies come in many variations throughout Romania. These hail from Transylvania, or Ardeal, and are sometimes cooked on a baking stone. This version, from Irina Georgescu’s “Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania and Beyond” is filled with soft cheese and cooked in a skillet. Served with runny honey, they make a fine brunch, snack or dessert. You could also serve them with jam, chutney, pickles or eggs.

Note: If using cottage cheese, place it in a mesh strainer for 1 hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator, to drain away its excess moisture, before using. If using farmers cheese, there’s no need to drain it.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Ingredients

Scant 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) lukewarm water (about 100 degrees), plus more, as needed

2-1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) quick-acting or instant dry yeast

2-1/2 cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 pinch fine salt

6 tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral oil, divided

Scant 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 ounces farmers cheese or cottage cheese (see NOTE)

honey, for drizzling

flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the water and yeast. After 10 minutes, the mixture should look foamy. (If it doesn’t, the yeast is dead and you should start over with fresh yeast.) Stir in the flour, salt, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the milk and sugar and, using your hands, mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add cool water, 1 teaspoon at a time; if it seems tacky, add a little more flour. Knead the dough until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. (You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; knead on medium speed until a smooth dough forms.) Cover the bowl with a clean, damp cloth and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size. (Alternatively, cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.)

Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a 10- to 12-inch-wide circle. Crumble or spread a sixth of the cheese, about 1 ounce (28 grams), in the center, leaving a 5-inch border around the cheese. Fold the sides of the round into the center in 7 to 8 folds, overlapping them slightly. The dough should cover the cheese. Then press the filled circle of dough with your hands or use a rolling pin to gently press the bread closed. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese.

In a large, cast-iron skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it shimmers. Swirl the pan so the oil coats the bottom and place one of the dough rounds in the pan. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, another 2 to 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining dough rounds, adding more oil as needed.

Serve warm with honey and flaky salt, if desired.