MEĐIMURSKA GIBANICA
Recipe provided by Mrs. Slađana Herman

Ingredients:

Cheese Filling:

• 1 kg fresh cow cheese
• 3 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 1 vanilla sugar
• Zest of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt

Apple Filling:

• 2 kg grated apples
• 100 g sugar
• 1 vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Juice of half a lemon

Walnut Filling:

• 400 g ground walnuts
• 100 g sugar
• 100 ml rum
• 400 ml milk

Poppy Seed Filling:

• 400 g poppy seeds
• 100 g sugar
• 100 ml rum
• 400 ml milk

Strudel Dough:

• 500 g all-purpose flour
• 450 ml lukewarm water
• 50 ml oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients:

• 200 ml sour cream
• 100 g butter
• 50 g bread crumbs
• 50 g semolina
• 50 g ground sugar

Preparation:

At the beginning of preparing Međimurska Gibanica, you need to make the dough, divide it into 5 equal parts, brush with oil, and let it rest for half an hour. While the dough is resting, prepare the cheese, poppy seed, walnut, and apple fillings.

Mix the cheese with sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix the poppy seeds with sugar, vanilla sugar, rum, and hot milk. Mix the walnuts with sugar, vanilla sugar, rum, and hot milk. Peel and grate the apples, then add sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice.

Divide the strudel dough into 5 equal parts, roll them out to fit the size of your baking sheet.

Grease the baking sheet (large oven tray) with melted butter, place one sheet of strudel dough on the bottom, and spread the prepared walnut filling over it. Place another sheet of strudel dough on top of the walnuts, spread the poppy seed filling over it, then place another sheet of strudel dough and spread the apple filling over that. Finally, place the last sheet of strudel dough on top, and brush it with sour cream.

Bake the Gibanica for one hour at 170 degrees Celsius, or until golden brown. Let it cool, and sprinkle with ground sugar before serving.