Zelnik is traditionally made in a large sheet, to feed the whole family (for days lol). The first order of business at Zelnik Nontraditional Macedonian was shrinking my family's recipe to a more personable size. I settled on a 8" x 8" dimension. There are three reasons for this size reduction.
First, I had a good feeling that selling a large sheet of something that many people had never heard of would be a bit difficult. An 8" square pie is similar in size to other pies familiar to non-Macedonians. Because of this familiarity, the shrunken Zelnik becomes a more marketable product to the masses.
Second, a large sheet simply wouldn't travel well as one unit. Since I was starting this thing as a delivery only gig out of my home kitchen (I now cook out of a professionally licensed Pizza Kitchen) this portability was essential.
Finally, and most importantly, a higher crust to interior ratio means more crusty goodness for everyone that is indulging. I've always thought the crust is the star of the show and what a better way to show that off than make sure everyone gets a piece of it?!
So there ya have it, that's how my Zelnik got its shape. For whoever gives a sheet!
Also, I would like to mention that I would be happy to make a sheet size for anyone that is interested in feeding a large group. Shoot me an email at zelnik614@gmail.com and we can arrange something!

Leave a comment