The first time I ever had Börek was when I was 14 years old. My family and I were visiting the beautiful city of Istanbul in Turkey. We couldn’t get enough of the cities charm, history and amazing food. From their teas, to dessert to savory pastries, everything was fabulous. Turkish cuisine is probably one of my favorites and it all started years ago when my dad decided to take a detour on our summer family vacation. And I must say, I’m so glad he did!

Börek is a stuffed pastry from Turkey. A thin pastry, phyllo, is stuffed with some kind of cheese, spinach or meat and baked to golden perfection with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Very similar to Greek spanakopita’s. Borek is essentially a savory pie with beautiful, flaky, golden layers with a flavorful filling.

Garnish Borek with fresh herbs and pomegranates, and enjoy. Serve the flaky goodness as a side for your next dinner party, or for brunch with some warm Turkish apple tea. Whether for a meal, afternoon snack or post iftar indulgence, this is sure to be a favorite in your home. Hoping you give this recipe a try and reminisce of Turkey when making this Borek favorite, or if you have never been there get a piece of the delicious cuisine they have through this borek.

Turkish Recipe - Cheese Börek Spiral

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Turkish cheese borek is a classic Turkish/Middle Eastern savory pie. This Turkish Borek with Cheese and Herbs is the best savory pie you can ever have in your life time.

Author: Zakiya Master

Recipe type: Brunch

Cuisine: Turkish

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 8oz Ricotta Cheese
• 4 oz Feta Cheese
• 15 Phyllo Dough Sheets
• 8 to 10 Black Olives Chopped (optional)
• 8 oz Mozzarella (optional)
• 1 stick Butter
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Sesame Seeds and Nigella Seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Defrosted phyllo dough, and the cheeses.
2. Give the cheeses a good mash to combine in a bowl and add chopped olives if desired, along with salt/pepper.
3. Melt butter.
4. Pull 3 sheets from your phyllo dough pile. Brush each sheet with butter and lay them on top of each other.
5. Now placing your buttered sheets horizontally towards you, add some filling to the bottom long edge of your dough.
6. 
7. Carefully roll the dough up to make a long log.
8. 
9. Brush the log with butter and then gently roll your log into a spiral and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
10. Continue the steps and keep adding your logs to the spiral made to form one large Borek or make each log into its own spiral to form individual spirals.
11. If you make individual you will get 5 smaller spirals, if you make a large spiral you will get a 10" round borek.
12. Brush the tops liberally with butter.
13. At this point you can chill, then freeze these wrapped in saran wrap then foil to bake on another day, or prep ahead for a party.
14. There is no need to defrost, just bake them frozen on a parchment lined baking sheet, adding a few extra minutes to ensure it’s cooked through.
15. Sprinkle sesame seeds and nigella seeds if desired on top of borek
16. Bake at 400'F for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

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If you loved this Cheese Borek recipe, be sure to checkout my Spinach & Cheese Borek variation on the blog at Blend Of Spice.

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Zakiya Master is a homemaker, a mom to three beautiful boys and LOVEs to cook and craft. After 9 years of marriage, traveling the world, and moving to 5 different states with her husband, she now resides in sunny Florida. Ever since childhood Zakiya had an interest in art, food, and traveling. All her crafts and tips/tricks in the kitchen come from life experiences and family traditions. She blogs at Blend Of Spice.