Bourekas are all over Israel, you can’t really walk into a bakery or supermarket and not find at least a potato or cheese-filled pastry pocket. But in some areas you can also find what is called Borek, it was brought to Israel from Turkey and evolved into bourekas over time. This recipe is for the original Borek with spinach and feta filling.
For a quicker hack you can use store-bought phyllo or puff pastry to make these, but if you’re up for it try our dough.
Börek
Servings
10 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 8½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1 egg beaten
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Dough
- Mix flour, baking powder, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and water and stir until a soft dough forms. Let rest 20 minutes and knead again for a few minutes.
- Divide dough into 10 portions; roll each portion into a ball. Place in container coated with oil and cover with plastic wrap to prevent dough balls from drying out let rest at least 5 hours.
- Filling
- Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes or until translucent. Transfer to a large bowl and add spinach and feta and stir to combine.
- Prepare Borek
- Line sheet pan with parchment and preheat oven to 375℉.
- Take each ball on a greased board and flatten with your hands until paper-thin.
- On the bottom edge of the dough begin to spread out the filling from one end to the other. Carefully roll the pastry up around the filling into one long log. Then curl around into a spiral and place on prepared sheet pan.
- Brush the borek with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.
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