Spinach Borek From Scratch
Rolling the yufka at hand is the fearful dream of many. It is also something that makes them say "it wasn't that hard" after doing it once. If you have never rolled a dough into yufka before and still think that you can not do it, you can watch my baklava video and the leek börek videos, which have encouraged many people so far.
I also wanted to prepare and share the spinach pastry in single served form. But as you can imagine, you can interchange them. So you don't have to make this recipe just with spinach. You can make it with cheese, potatoes, leeks or ground beef. Likewise, instead of making this in single serve form, you can prepare it like leek börek. The only difference of this one is that it is easy to serve. Great advantage especially in crowded invitations.
For those who wonder about its consistency, let me tell you, it is a crispy crunchy börek. If you wish, you can prepare it in advance and serve the other day.
Can the dough be prepared in advance?
Let me give a general answer to one of the most frequently asked question. Can I prepare the dough in the evening and roll it in the morning? Under no circumstances should I prepare the dough and keep it ready. There are different reasons for this. Firstly, rising agents used in the dough can cause undesirable results when waited. Yeast can cause the paste to rotten, for example. This does not mean that it will always be so, but there is such a possibility. Secondly, the dough waiting in the refrigerator cools down a lot and it needs to wait at least one hour at room temperature before using. During this time, you can already knead and raise any dough from scratch. Preparing the dough in advance is not time-saving. Finally, I know that there is no obligation to serve pastries as soon as they are cooked, they can be prepared one day in advance, this is much more practical and I also know that if I leave things for the last day, and if things go wrong, I will not have time to find solutions but I will have time to find solutions to the setbacks if I prepare and cook them in advance . So why would I put myself under an unnecessary stress? Or, in other words, why would you put yourself under an unnecessary stress?
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
For the dough;
- 4-4.5 cups of flour,
- 2 cups of water,
- 1/2 teaspoon salt,
- 1 tablespoon of sugar.
For the filling;
- 500 g spinach,
- 300 g feta cheese / curd cheese,
- 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil,
- Salt to taste.
For preparing;
- 2 spoonful butter,
- 4-5 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Preparation
- Mix water, salt and sugar in a deep bowl for the dough,
- Add the flour part by part, check the consistency, add as much as necessary and knead until you get a soft dough,
- Cover it and let it rest for half an hour,
- Meanwhile wash and chop the spinach,
- Take oil and spinach into a large frying pan,
- Stir fry until all the water evaporates,
- Remove from heat, add the cheese and salt if necessary (decide according to the salt content of the cheese) and mix,
- Melt the butter, add the oil and mix,
- Divide the dough into five pieces and roll them into balls and cover with a kitchen towel,
- Take one of the pieces, press on counter with your hand to enlarge a little bit,
- Put a spoon of oil mixture on it and grease both sides,
- Enlarge it with a rectangular-oval shape, about one meter long 40-50 cm wide by pressing and expanding with your hand,
- Place one-fifth of the spinach filling along a long edge in a thin strip and roll it up by pulling it thinner,
- Extend it by pulling a little more from its thick parts,
- Cut it into three pieces, roll each roll around itself and place on a tray covered with greaseproof paper,
- Enlarge and roll the remaining pieces in the same way, place them into the tray,
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in a 180 C degrees pre-heated oven until golden brown.
Bon Appetit...