Pumpkin Bitta

Name: Pumpkin Bitta
Total time: 3600 s
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1.5 kg Pumpkin; 1.5 kg Flour; 3 Cups Granulated Sugar; 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil; 1 Cup Rice; 300 g Dried Raisins; 1 Cup Peeled Almonds or Walnuts; 2 Teaspoons Yeast; 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon; Water (as needed)

Damla Karadayi @damlakaradayi

Nicosia, Cyprus

Pumpkin, a member of the gourd family, has a round, ribbed, and firm exterior with a vibrant orange color. Inside, it contains its own seeds along with its fleshy part. As a fibrous fruit, pumpkin is rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and iron. In Cyprus, this beloved cultural dessert combines soft pumpkin filling with leavened dough, making it one of Cyprus’s cherished traditional sweets.

Damla Karadayi @damlakaradayi

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Ingredients

1 hr

1.5 kgPumpkin
1.5 kgFlour
3 CupsGranulated Sugar
1/2 CupVegetable Oil
1 CupRice
300 gDried Raisins
1 CupPeeled Almonds or Walnuts
2 TeaspoonsYeast
1 TablespoonCinnamon
Water (as needed)

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Steps

1 hr

1

First, prepare the dough as you would for bread, kneading it well and allowing it to rise until it becomes fluffy. Once the dough is ready, cut it into small pieces and roll them out into 20 cm circles using a rolling pin, similar to making a pastry.
2

The night before, chop the pumpkin into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Add 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup of washed rice, and ½ cup of vegetable oil. Let this mixture rest overnight, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar fully integrates with the pumpkin.
3

The next day, drain the excess liquid using a sieve. Then, mix in the washed and seedless dried raisins, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1 cup of peeled walnuts. If the pumpkin's sweetness is insufficient, you can add a bit more sugar.
4

Take about 3 teaspoons of the prepared filling and place it in the center of each rolled-out dough piece. Fold the edges inward, sealing it like a turnover. Arrange the filled pastries on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C until golden brown. Once baked, let them rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.