Kypriakes tahinopites (Cypriot tahini pies)

Recipe
For the dough
1. 250 ml of water
2. 600 gr. of hard flour (protein content 12-14%)
3. yeast
4. 200 gr. of thyme honey
5. 100 ml of seed oil
6. ½ tsp of mastic
7. ½ tsp of mahlepi

For the filling
1. 250 gr of tahini
2. 250 gr. of thyme honey
3. 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

Bake at 160 C (fan assisted) for 20-25 min.

Procedure
This dough is quite similar to that of tsoureki. It has long waiting times. The first waiting time of the dough is approx. 2 hours and the second waiting time is approx. 1 hour. When preparing the pies, they must be swirled, and as a result some of the filling pours out. This is something natural and is used intentionally to give a better taste to pies. Some Cypriot women use a rolling pin so that some of the filling goes out and covers the entire area of the pie. Also, the remaining filling is put on top of the pies.

I have divided the dough into ten pieces of approx. 100-120 gr. This is the usual size of such pies. However, they can be prepared bigger, according to each person's preferences. The flour that is used is hard flour, high in gluten content, and with protein content of approx. 12-14%. You can check that on the label of your flour. When preparing the dough, it needs to be kneaded with a mixer with hooks for approx. 10-15 min.

In this recipe, I forgot to add the mastic and the mahlepi in the beginning of the procedure. However, I have included these two spices during the first rising, without affecting the dough. I have also added some extra flour because the dough was too sticky. The total amount of flour put into mixture is 600 gr.

This recipe can be prepared with or without syrup. I prefer the second option, because I am using the remaining filling on top of the pies. The syrup is usually comprised of water, sugar or honey and a cinnamon stick. It boils for some time and then is spread on top of the pies after they are baked. If you choose this option, decrease the filling into half.

Description
As you have already noticed, the Cypriot tahini pies are different from the Greek tahini pie. The second resembles more of a cake, while the first ones are small round pies.