Börek

Su Böreği (Turkish Cheese Börek)

Su böreği is the Turkish classic: sheets of yufka blanched briefly in salted water, layered with a cheese–parsley–egg filling, folded into a coil, and baked until the pastry is crisp on the outside and tender within.

Prep

35 min

Cook

45 min

Total

80 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •6 sheets fresh yufka pastry (about 40 cm rounds), traditionally fresh yufka; thin phyllo (about 12 sheets) is the common home substitute
• •15 g (1 tbsp) salt, for the blanching water
• •400 g (14 oz) white cheese (lor or beyaz peynir), feta is the usual substitute; drain and crumble first so the filling is not watery
• •30 g (1 cup (loosely packed)) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• •1 large egg, lightly beaten
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• •60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil, or use all butter if preferred
• •1 tsp black pepper
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) water, for brushing

Steps

1. 1 Bring a wide pan of water to a gentle boil and stir in the 15 g salt. Have a clean tea towel ready on a tray.
2. 2 Slip one sheet of yufka into the simmering water for about 20–30 seconds, just until pliable (do not let it cook soft). Lift it out, shake off the water, and lay it flat on the towel. Repeat with three more sheets, stacking them on top of each other. Reserve the fifth and sixth sheets for the top and bottom.
3. 3 In a bowl, crumble the cheese and toss with the chopped parsley, black pepper, and the beaten egg. Mix gently - the filling should look like damp curds, not a wet paste; if it sits in liquid for more than a few minutes, drain off the excess before assembling.
4. 4 Brush a round baking dish (about 30 cm / 12 in) with some of the melted butter mixed with the olive oil.
5. 5 Lay one unblanched sheet of yufka in the dish to line the base, draping the edges over the sides; brush with butter–oil.
6. 6 Lay a blanched sheet on top, drizzle with butter–oil. Scatter about one third of the cheese filling evenly over the surface.
7. 7 Add the second blanched sheet, brush with butter–oil, scatter another third of the filling. Repeat the layers, finishing with the last blanched sheet, brushed with butter–oil.
8. 8 Fold the overhanging edges of the base sheet inward over the top. Lay the reserved unblanched sheet over the whole surface and tuck the edges down the inside of the dish. Brush generously with the remaining butter–oil.
9. 9 At this point you have a layered round. The traditional coil shape: cut the whole round in half, stack the halves, then cut each stack into 4 cm / 1½ in strips. Stand the strips on their cut edges in a buttered loaf pan or round dish, curving them to fit. Brush the tops with more butter–oil. (For a simpler home version, skip the coiling and just score the top into diamonds before baking.)
10. 10 Refrigerate the assembled börek for 20 minutes so the layers set; this helps the coil hold its shape in the oven.
11. 11 Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F (fan 170 °C).
12. 12 Pour the 200 ml water around the edges of the dish (not over the pastry) so it steams up from underneath - this gives the characteristic tender bottom of su böreği. If you coiled the börek, pour the water carefully between the strands.
13. 13 Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden on top and the water at the bottom has been absorbed. Internal temperature in the center should reach 85 °C / 185 °F and the cheese filling should be fully set with no visible raw egg.
14. 14 Rest 10 minutes before cutting so the layers firm up, then serve hot or warm. Börek is traditionally eaten with tea, a simple salad of tomato, cucumber and sumac, or ayran.