Cheese Börek – Turkish filo pastry bake Recipe
Börek is a layered bake made from thin pastry and filling, in this case with a simple, salty cheese. In Turkey it’s eaten for breakfast, as a work snack, or as a warm treat with tea during family gatherings. The taste is a bit like a cross between cheese puff pastry and lasagna, only without the sauce and with crisp, paper-thin sheets of dough.
This cheese börek combines a simple, affordable filling with impressively crisp, flaky layers of filo pastry. It’s easy to assemble ahead, bakes quickly, and works equally well as breakfast, a snack, or a party dish.
Chef's tips
Taste your cheese mixture before adding salt – feta and other salad cheeses can be very salty, and the flavor intensifies during baking. Work quickly with the filo and keep it covered so it doesn’t dry out; if a sheet tears, just layer it in anyway, it won’t be noticeable after baking.
How to serve
Serve generous squares of börek with strong black tea and a fresh tomato–cucumber salad with lemon and olive oil. It also pairs well with a bowl of plain yogurt or a simple yogurt–garlic dip. For brunch, add olives and fresh herbs on the side.
Ingredients
- filo pastry ready-made, from the fridge or frozen, thawed - 300 g
- feta cheese or another salty salad cheese - 250 g
- yellow cheese grated, e.g. gouda - 80 g
- eggs - 3 piece
- plain yogurt thick - 150 g
- vegetable oil - 60 ml
- butter melted - 40 g
- parsley chopped - 10 g
- salt careful, the cheese is salty - 2 g
- black pepper - 1 g
- sesame seeds for sprinkling on top, optional - 10 g
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a rectangular baking dish (about 20×30 cm) with oil.
- In a bowl, beat 2 eggs with the yogurt, add the oil and melted butter, and mix into a smooth, pourable mixture.
- Crumble the feta into another bowl with a fork, add the grated yellow cheese, chopped parsley, pepper and, if needed, a pinch of salt, then mix.
- Keep the filo pastry covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out and crumble.
- Place the first sheet of filo on the bottom of the dish and brush it with a thin layer of the yogurt–egg mixture using a pastry brush or spoon.
- Add another sheet of pastry, brush again, and repeat until you’ve used about 1/3 of the pastry.
- Spread half of the cheese filling evenly over this layer.
- Cover with another 1/3 of the filo sheets, brushing each one with the yogurt–egg mixture.
- Spread the remaining cheese filling and cover with the remaining sheets of pastry, still brushing each one.
- Brush the top with a final generous layer of the yogurt–egg mixture so the pastry browns nicely.
- Beat the last egg in a small bowl and gently brush it over the top of the bake, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Before putting it in the oven, score the top of the börek into squares or diamonds with a sharp knife, without cutting all the way through to the bottom.
- Bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp and the sides are slightly pulling away from the dish.
- After removing from the oven, leave to rest for 10–15 minutes so it sets a little and is easier to slice.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into pieces along the lines you scored earlier.
Storage
Börek przechowuj w lodówce, szczelnie przykryty, do 3 dni i podgrzewaj w piekarniku lub na suchej patelni, aby odzyskał chrupkość. Możesz go też zamrozić w porcjach i odgrzewać bezpośrednio z zamrażarki w 170°C, aż będzie gorący w środku.
