Su böreği: Turkish water börek
Supple Turkish water börek with briefly boiled handmade pastry sheets, white cheese, parsley, and butter.
Prep70 min
Cook50 min
Rest50 min
Oven190°C
Servings10
Adapted for the home kitchen from documented Turkish recipe references
Ingredients
Written for a 23 × 33 cm dish
Units
Temperature
Servings
- 500 g plain flour rounded
- 5 eggs rounded
- 8 g fine salt rounded
- 60 ml water, as needed rounded
- 350 g feta or Turkish white cheese rounded
- 30 g parsley, chopped rounded
- 180 g butter, melted rounded
- 15 ml olive oil rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Knead flour, eggs, salt, and enough water into a firm smooth dough. Rest 30 minutes, then divide into ten balls.
- Mix cheese and parsley. Bring a wide pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of iced water. Heat the oven to 190°C.
- Roll each ball paper-thin. Keep the first and last sheets unboiled. Boil the other sheets one at a time for 30 seconds, chill, drain, and blot dry.
- Oil a 23 x 33 cm tin. Lay in the first raw sheet, then layer five boiled sheets with butter. Add cheese, then remaining buttered boiled sheets and the final raw sheet.
- Brush generously with butter and bake 45 to 50 minutes until browned above and below. Rest 20 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- Blot every boiled sheet; trapped water makes the börek pasty.
- Su böreği is intentionally tender and layered, not shatteringly crisp like filo börek.
Sources consulted
Good with
- Greek salad with sardines
- İmam bayıldı: Turkish stuffed aubergines
- Soğuk baklava: Turkish cold milk baklava
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer