Börek -Turkish Cheese & Spinach Pastry
Börek -Turkish Cheese & Spinach Pastry! Learn how to make this traditional, village-style white cheese & spinach layered pastry dish. Being married to a Turk for 26 years, I can show you how!
Börek – Turkish Cheese & Spinach Pastry
🇹🇷 All From Scratch!
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What Is Turkish Börek?
Turkish Börek is a multi -layered, baked pastry dish. Classically with a Turkish soft white cheese (Peynir) & spinach filling, it is constructed from several layers of very thin pastry called Yufka (pronounced yoof-ka, similar to filo/Phyllo pastry).
Börek (pronounced Boo-rek), can have other fillings but this is a classic & vegetarian & called Ispanaklı Peynirli Börek (u-spanak-lu pay-near-lee boo-rek).
These Yufka pastry layers, can be bought in extra large sheets, (in foreign food shots, Asian shops etc, in the chiller). They are a dried-out version & a little difficult to deal with, so I much prefer making homemade. Takes time but much thinner. You do have other options & those are discussed below in the ingredient notes.
Why Make This Börek Pastry?
- Straight forward process, just takes time
- Homemade is ALWAYS better
- No additives or preservatives
- Vegetarian & Halal
- Great for Ramadan, Eid & Iftar
- Full step-by-step instructions & video
- Can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner
- Great for parties, buffets, potlucks or picnics
- Authentic recipe by a Scot married to a Turkish village boy for 26 years
You can check out more of my Turkish bakes if you are interested. 🇹🇷
Ingredients & Alternatives
Turkish cheese & spinach Börek is made from the following:
For the Yufka (Filo dough):
- Flour*
- Salt
- Oil*
- Warm Water
For The Filling & Topping:
- Turkish Peynir (soft white cheese)*
- Spinach
- Egg
- Oil & Milk
- OR Mature cheddar cheese*
- Sesame & Nigella Seeds (optional)*
*See notes below
Flour
Just Plain (All Purpose) flour is what I tend to use. You can of course use pastry or OO flour if you happen to have it as it will be good for stretching & rolling out thin. *You will also need a lot of flour when rolling out.
Oil
I like to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the dough, as well as when layering the pastry. You can use Virgin Olive Oil, Olive Oil or a neutral oil you happen to have.
Spinach
Fresh spinach leaves are used. I would not recommend using frozen spinach as too much moisture. You can use pre-washed spinach, otherwise wash & leave to dry between kitchen paper/paper towels while the dough is resting.
Cheese
Typically, this classic Turkish pastry is made using a particular kind of Turkish cheese. Cheese is Peynir in Turkish, but you are looking for a soft white Turkish cheese. Often you can buy in English speaking countries in large tins, and sometimes they have English writing on them too. Sometimes referred to as Börek cheese, or Combi Danish White is one that you can easily find. You might find brands like Ulcer, Istanbul, Pinar, Aytac or Yayla. Turkish words you want to look for are – Böreklik Beyaz Peynir, Beyaz Peynir, or çiftlik peynirli.
While Feta is kind of similar, it is not as creamy. In the video you will see how creamy the cheese is when mashed. You can use Feta (or Feta-style) as an alternative and I recommend adding 1 – 2 eggs to get the same consistency as in the video. If you can source the Turkish cheese, it will work out cheaper than buying lots of Feta.
Cheddar Cheese
Another alternative (but in no way traditional), is using a mature (sharp) cheddar. Extra mature Scottish cheese is great for it. Use grated/shredded and optionally add some fine chopped onion. In the photos & video, I used cheddar cheese in the round Börek I made.
Egg
UK medium to large eggs are used, at room temperature & equivalent in US is large to extra-large. Used as an egg-wash between each sheet of pastry, & to hold the seeds in place for a nice golden top. I also add egg when using cheddar cheese as it gives a fuller filling once baked, as well as some added moisture.
Milk
A little milk is added to the egg & oil mixture. if you don’t have any milk or cream, just increase the amount of oil. Note however, the pastry might not be as golden. Alternatively, if you want a rich finish to the pastry, add in another egg or egg yolk.
Seeds
A classic seed to add to Turkish pastries & bakes is Çörek Otu (chew-rek ooh-too). This is basically Nigella Seeds, but is optional. Sesame seeds are a good choice too but you can omit these.
Ready-Made Pastry
You can save yourself some time and not make the homemade pastry sheets. Turkish Yufka is available to buy in foreign food stores (even some Asda supermarkets in the UK sell them in the foreign foods chiller). Note though that the sheets tend to be extra-large circular ones, that are folded so the packaging makes it look rectangular.
Another alternative is to buy filo/Phyllo sheets. These are thinner than homemade. So I would recommend using slightly more sheets. So a 12 sheet pack would be fine.
Equipment
Traditionally, Börek is made in large metal oven dishes. Baklava is made in these too. I had several, in varying sizes, that I have used over the years. When making the more recent video however, I could not find them after we refitted our old kitchen.
So, considering most of you won’t have these (tepsi), and won’t be making in bulk like I usually do, I have worked out the recipe for you to make in a rectangular 9×13″ ( 22.75 x 33cm) oven dish. As well as a slightly smaller version in a 24cm/9.5” round cake pan.
You can use my Increase A Recipe article, or How To Reduce A Recipe tables, for different sizing if need be. Just make sure that the dish is at least 5cm/2″ deep.
You can alternatively make Rolu Börek – 9 snail shaped individual pastries. Roll out thin, to a large oval or rectangular shape, spread a little filling across it, leaving a gap at the end. Roll it up (longwise nearest you), like a Swiss roll cake & egg-washing the end to seal. Then make a snail shape by spiralling it around itself and tucking the end under.
Recipe Yield
Using the rectangular 9×13″ pan, you can easily get 15 square pieces/slices (just under 2″/5cm wide). The round dish yield was 10 – 12 pieces.
Other Turkish recipes
🇹🇷Take a look at my other Turkish recipes, that are made the way they are in Turkey. At least in the Izmir region, west of Turkey. Or Türkiye to more precise – this is the Turkish word for Turkey. Pronounced Tour-key-yeh.
Dishes like Lahmacun (a thin flatbread with meat topping), their kind of Pizza (Cheese Pide), Ramazan Pidesi (a special bread for Ramadan), or how about some cheese stuffed rolls (Poğaça), that you can make with or without yeast.
Other Pastry Recipes
Like pastry recipes? Then I have you covered. Try some easy recipes using ready-rolled puff pastry, like Cheese Pastry Swirls. Sweet pastry for Rhubarb Pie, or try my pastry 101 tutorial.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prepare The Dough (Yufka)
1. Start by preparing the dough (yufka, but very similar to Filo/Phyllo pastry). This needs 2 hours resting time to allow you to roll out really thin. So best to plan ahead. *TIP – use the timings in the Recipe Card after these instructions, as a guide.
2. Add flour to a stand mixer bowl & combine with the salt. Then add in the oil.
3. Attach the dough (kneading hook) & mix together on a low-medium speed.
4. Scrape the sides until all combined & let mix for 4 minutes until cleaning the bowl, clinging to the dough hook & looks very smooth and silky.
(On lifting up the dough hook, it should stretch & only be a tiny bit sticky to touch – see video).
5. Prepare a working area – I like using baking paper & dust with flour.
6. Scrape & lift out the prepared dough, before placing on your flour dusted work area.
7. Divide the dough into 9 pieces. I like to weigh them out as I often make at least 2 different sizes of Borek, baking in different oven dishes. So if you have a scale, that would be beneficial.
8.The rectangular (9×13″, 22.75 x 33cm) ones are 45g (1.5 oz). The ones for a round 24cm, 9.5” pan are 35g (1.25 oz).
9. Roll each piece into a tight ball (see my video for how I do this, as well as when the dough is quite small).
10. Place on a paper-lined & floured tray, dust with flour & cover with a damp tea-towel, before leaving 2 hours to rest.
Prepare The Filling(s)
1. While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling & place in the fridge.
2. Roughly chop your washed spinach (I just did by hand as it all cooks down). And add to a large mixing bowl.
3. Make sure to drain your Turkish cheese (Peynir) or Feta, & mash with a fork before adding in with the spinach & mixing to combine. (Your hands are best).
If using the cheddar cheese filling, simply grate and add to a bowl before adding in 2 eggs and using a fork to mix together.
5. Place filling(s), covered in the fridge, till ready to use.
Constructing The Börek
1. Crack an egg into a small jug or bowl, whisk to break up & add in 2 tbsp milk & 1 tbsp oil before whisking to combine.
2. Chose which baking dish you are going to bake your Börek in. This recipe is for a 9×13″ ( 22.75 x 33cm,) rectangular baking tray (but in the notes of the Recipe Card below, I have included how much dough to make for a 24cm/9.5” round cake pan/tin.
3. Grease the base and sides of the baking tray (you can even use the egg mixture you just made up), before paper-lining the bottom. **Be sure to cut to size (or a little smaller), as this will help stop the Borek sticking & also make lifting out much easier. ***To see how to easily cut a paper circle to fit any round tin or pan, check out my Cutting Parchment Circles video.***.
Place the cut paper on top, smooth in place & brush on some of the egg mixture (or use some cooking/cake release spray) on top of the paper. See Photo 4.
5. Flour a work area – I highly recommend using a large piece of baking/parchment paper as its easier to clean up but best of all you can turn the paper easily making rolling out (especially round shapes), much easier and quicker to do. (See this in action in the video).
6. For the rectangular baking tin, form one ball of dough into a rough square shape before placing down on the floured paper. (See Photo 5).
7. Flour the rolling pin (or Oklava in Turkish & much thinner) and start to roll out a slim rectangular shape.
8. Lift & turn over the dough every so often, spreading the flour first & repeat to roll out very thin to the size of the baking dish (a little bigger or smaller is fine too).
9. Lift & shake off the flour & gently place in the pan.
10. Brush on the egg mixture on top of this first layer of dough (Yufka). **Tip – shaking off excess flour before lifting over makes this easier. Just make sure to coat it well with egg wash.
1Roll out 2 more sheets of dough, brushing egg mixture on in-between each, until you have a total of 3 layers stacked in the baking dish.
12. Spread half of the cheese & spinach filling on top of the 3 layers of pastry. (See Photo 6).
13. Top the filling with 3 more rolled out sheets of dough like before (egg mix in-between each).
14. Then spread on the remaining half of the filling on top.
15. Preheat your oven to: 200oc/180oc Fan Oven/ 400 of/Gas Mark 6. **If your oven takes longer than 10-15 minutes, put on earlier.
16. Top the filling with 3 more rolled out sheets of pastry dough & egg mixture.
17. After topping the final layer with plenty of egg mixture, sprinkle on sesame seeds, as well as çörek otu (Nigella seeds).
For the round version, the balls of dough for each pastry sheet will be 35g (1.25 oz). Prepare the tin as above.
Start with the ball shape of dough & roll out into a thin circle, lifting & turning over the dough every so often.
***Tip, roll out on paper & you can easily turn the paper, to roll out a nice round shape. (See video).
Line the bottom with 3 layers of pastry, egg mixture in-between, half of the cheese filling, top with 3 more layers. Then more filling & finally end with 3 more layers of pastry, topped with seeds.
Bake The Börek
1. Pop the prepared Börek in the centre of the pre-heated oven & bake for about 40-55 minutes. The pastry will have risen a little, be a deep golden colour. I often turn the tin after about 25 minutes to promote an even colouring on top.
2. If you greased the tin well or have a good brand, (mine was a new Baker’s Street one & the round a Lidl easy release one), the pastry will be coming away from the sides. Leave to cool on a rack for 20 minutes.
Serving The Börek
1. Lift the Börek out of the tin with the paper & place on a chopping board. **If you used a spring-release, loose-based round tin, this will be really easy. For the large tin, I simply placed a chopping board on top, flipped over, out of the tin & then used another board to flip the right way up.
2. Cut the rectangular Börek into 15 square pieces. For the round one you can cut into rectangular slices or cut into rectangular pieces, with some pointed pieces at the round edges. For this you can get about 10 -12 slices.
3. Serve the cheese Börek as they are, for a tasty breakfast or lunch. Enjoy with some olives, and fresh slices of tomato and cucumber & of course some hot tea (Turkish word is çay, pronounced ch-eye).
Have alongside a big bowl of soup for a light dinner.
4. Store left-over Turkish Börek in food bags or as I did, in the baking pan that came with a plastic lid. You can store out at room temperature as long as not too hot, for a few days. Otherwise store in the fridge. It will produce condensation (even when fully cooled first), so be sure to re-heat a little in the oven, air-fryer or microwave to take the cold-edge off.
5. Börek can be frozen, in pieces, if well wrapped. Wrap in paper then foil or cling film (plastic wrap) and place in a labelled food bag or air-tight container & store at the back of the freezer. These will be fine for about 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the fridge & reheat till hot before serving.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: easy, beginner
Other Easy Pastry Recipes
This rhubarb tart, joins my series of easy pastry recipes, using ready-made puff pastry or pastry alternatives.
Try one of the recipes below, by clicking the photo – Cream cheese pastry swirls, the cheese twists or quick white cheese dill swirls. Or even, pastry-free quick cheese swirls.
Recipe Card
Turkish Börek – 🇹🇷 Cheese Spinach Pastry
Equipment
- Digital scales or measuring cups
- Stand Mixer with dough hook
- Baking/parchment paper
- Clean Tea-towel
- Large bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Flour (for rolling)
- Rectangular Baking Tray/Tin (9×13", 22.75 x 33cm, for round see notes)
- Brush
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For The Pastry Dough (Yufka):
- 250 grams Flour (Plain, All Purpose flour, 8¾ oz, 2 cups)
- Rounded ½ tsp Salt (table salt, 3½ grams)
- 1 tbsp Oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, etc)
- 165 ml Warm Water (up to 5½ fl oz,up to ⅔ cup)
For Filling & Topping:
- 300-400 grams Turkish Soft Cheese (10½ – 14 oz, see notes)
- 120 grams Spinach (4¼ oz, washed)
- 2 Eggs (Medium to large)
- 1 tbsp Milk (15ml, for alternative see notes)
- 2 tbsp Oil (30ml)
- Sesame Seeds & Nigela Seeds
* see notes
Instructions
Prepare Pastry Dough
- Mix 250 grams Flour, a Rounded ½ tsp Salt & 1 tbsp Oil in a stand-mixer. Gradually add in upto 165 ml Warm Water, mixing till incorporated. Then beat on low-medium speed for 4 minutes till the dough becomes smooth & is cleaning the bowl.
- Remove the dough onto a floured paper and divide into 9 equal pieces (for the rectangular Börek, each piece of dough is 45g (1.5 oz), for round, 35g (1.25 oz) – please read more in notes & before this Recipe Card).
- Roll each piece into a tight little ball and place on a floured tray, dust them with flour & cover with a damp tea-towel, leaving to rest for 2 hours.
Prepare The Filling
- While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. For the white cheese & spinach, roughly chop the clean 120 grams Spinach. Break up the 300-400 grams Turkish Soft Cheese in a large bowl with a fork & add in the spinach, mixing together by hand. (See notes for details on other cheeses). Cover and place in the fridge till ready to use.
- For the mature/sharp cheddar version, grate/shred the cheese, mix in 2 eggs, cover & refrigerate. (See ingredient amounts in the notes)
Constructing The Börek
- Crack 2 Eggs into a small jug & add in 1 tbsp Milk & 2 tbsp Oil, before whisking together.
- Grease the bottom and sizes of your baking dish before paper-lining the bottom (cut to fit or slightly smaller for easy removal & to prevent it baking into the pastry). Then brush some of the egg mixture on top of the paper.
- On a large piece of floured baking/parchment paper, start with the ball of dough & form into a rough square shape. Then roll out till a thin rectangular sheet to fit the tin. (9×13″, 22.75 x 33cm). **Lift & turn over & rotate the dough, dusting the paper with flour regularly. The dough should not be sticky. Lift & shake off excess flour before carefully placing in the baking tin. Brush the egg mixture on top of the pastry sheet. Roll out 2 more sheets of dough, positioning onto top of the first layer, with egg mixture in-between each.
- Preheat the oven to: 200oc/180oc Fan Oven/ 400 of/Gas Mark 6
- After you have 3 layers in the baking dish, spread half of the filling over the pastry. Roll out 3 more sheets, stacking with egg mixture in between like before. Add the remaining filling, then top with 3 more layers of pastry sheets. Generously top with egg mixture before adding Sesame Seeds & Nigela Seeds (optional).
Bake The Pastry
- Bake the prepared cheese Börek in the centre of the oven for 40-55 minutes, till risen a little, a deep golden colour & the pastry may be coming away from the sides. Turn the dish after 25 minutes for an even colouring if needed.
- Leave to cool on a rack for 20 minutes or ready to eat.
Serving & Storing Börek
- Use 2 chopping boards to turn out the pastry & flip back over (using paper really helps with this). Then cut into 15 squares (we 3 strips, each having 5 pieces).
- Serve warm or room temperature as breakfast, lunch or as a light dinner with soup. Traditionally served with olives, fresh tomato & cucumber slices, & Turkish tea or Ayran.
- Store left-over Börek in food bags at cool temperature. You can chill but there will be condensation and last a few days. Börek can be frozen if wrapped in paper, then cling film/plastic wrap or foil and placed in a labelled food bag or air-tight container. Defrost at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. Ensure thoroughly defrosted and reheat till hot all the way through before serving.
Video
Notes
Seeds – sesame and Nigella seeds are used (Turkish name is Çörek Otu). But you can omit.
Ready Made Pastry – instead of making homemade yufka (pastry sheets), you can buy Turkish Yufka sheets. Alternatively use filo/phyllo sheets. They are thinner however, so would recommend using 4 sheets in place of the 3 homemade, taking it to 12 sheets per tray or Borek.
Equipment – for the main recipe I used a 9×13″ ( 22.75 x 33cm) oven dish. As well as a slightly smaller version in a 24cm/9.5” round cake pan. For the ingredient amounts for the round version, see below.
Recipe Yield – the rectangular 9×13″ dish yields 15 square pieces and the smaller round one about 10 pieces.
Timings – the timings listed above, are based on preparing the filling and baking tray, while the pastry is resting. And as such the ‘inactive time’ is resting time less time to prepare the filling.
For 9″ ( 22.75cm) Round Version: 190g (1.5 cup, 6.75 oz flour), scant 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp oil, up to 125ml (0.5 cup, 4.5 fl oz) warm water. Cheddar cheese filling – 225g (8 oz) grated/shredded cheese & 2 eggs. White cheese version – 225-300g (8-10.5 oz) white cheese & 90g (3 oz) spinach. Egg mixture – 2 eggs, 1 tsp milk, 1 tsp oil). Baking time about the same. 🇹🇷 Check out some more of my Turkish recipes. Like Lahmacun (below).
More spinach recipes, like my yeast-free spinach & cheese flatbread recipe.
Nutritional Information – I am not a qualified nutritionist & all values are approximate. They are based on using ingredients listed (for the white cheese spinach version), making in the 9×13″ rectangular dish, with a yield of 15 slices. 1 serving is 1 slice form a yield of 15. Make more or less pieces, and these values will change. Values calculated via MyFitnessPal.com.
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Caro x
🇹🇷 Börek -Turkish Cheese & Spinach Pastry 🇹🇷
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