Borek is a type of savory pastry, prepared baked, fried or boiled, and filled with various ingredients including cheeses, spices, vegetables and meats. Sometimes, though rare, sweet fillings, such as rose petals or fruits, are used as well. It is such a treasured treat in Turkey that it can be found in nearly every restaurant, and particularly in pastry shops that specialize only in borek. The most commonly found and most sought after type is “su boregi” or “water borek”.
Though this particular recipe uses pre-made dough and not the “water dough” of its namesake, it is a simple alternative to enjoy this famous, national snack at home. Serve it up for your friends and family at breakfast, brunch, as an appetizer, or as a side to afternoon tea.
Try substituting other vegetables, cheeses, meats, or even fruits and sweets as filling. For example, cooked spinach and onions, or roasted red peppers and beef are delicious alternatives. 
Easy, Cheesy Turkish Borek
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
Enjoy a simple and delicious version of Turkish ‘su boregi’ with this easy, cheesy borek recipe using pre-made phyllo dough.
Ingredients
- One package of phyllo (yufka) dough (usually found in the freezer section)
- Oil to grease the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan
- 60 g melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 120 ml vegetable oil (or sunflower oil)
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 200 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 200 g mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Defrost the phyllo dough until it is pliable and easy to open. Keep it wrapped or covered with a moist towel to prevent it from drying out.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- In a bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and yogurt to create the wet filling.
- In another bowl, mix the crumbled feta and shredded mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Grease the bottom of a 9×13 glass pan with oil.
- Lay down a sheet of phyllo dough in the pan, and brush it lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until you have layered half of the dough sheets.
- Spread half of the wet filling over the layered phyllo dough.
- Evenly distribute the cheese mixture over the wet filling.
- Continue layering the remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter.
- Pour the remaining wet filling over the top layer of phyllo dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Allow the borek to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
You can substitute other vegetables, cheeses, meats, or even fruits and sweets as filling. Cooked spinach and onions, or roasted red peppers and beef are delicious alternatives. Serve borek for breakfast, brunch, as an appetizer, or as a side to afternoon tea.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Turkish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 60
I need help. If I’m substituting fruit and sweets as the filling, do I still use the wet filling?
I tried the recipe today and was a little disappointed. The 120ml of oil is far too much making the end product very oily compared to the su boreghi I sampled in Istanbul two weeks ago. I suggest leaving it out completly.
we love burek here in Croatia and Bosnia, it’s a really popular dish in this area