Burekas (Israeli Flaky Pastry Filled with Cheese or Potato)

About This Recipe

Burekas (בורקס) are perhaps the most beloved Israeli street pastry: sold at bakeries from early morning, eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack, stuffed into school lunchboxes, and available at every corner kiosk and market stall. They arrived in Israel with Sephardic Jewish immigrants from the Balkans and Turkey (particularly from Salonica/Thessaloniki in Greece, which had a large Sephardic Jewish community), where borek has been a cornerstone of Ottoman culinary tradition for centuries. The Israeli version developed a distinct character: crispy, flaky pastry (made from puff pastry or oil-based dough) shaped into triangles or rectangles, filled most commonly with Bulgarian-style salty white cheese (jibn Bulgarian), potato and cheese, or spinach and feta. A mandatory coating of sesame seeds adorns the top. Burekas are traditionally served with a hard-boiled egg, a gherkin pickle, and a fresh tomato — a complete, cheap, and enormously satisfying breakfast that sustained generations of Israeli workers and students.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 500 gready-rolled puff pastry(2 sheets, thawed if frozen)
• 300 gBulgarian white cheese (or feta)(crumbled)
• 150 gricotta or labne
• 2 largeeggs(1 for filling, 1 for egg wash)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspfresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped(optional)
• 2 tbspsesame seeds(for topping)
• 1 tbspblack sesame seeds(for topping, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Mix crumbled Bulgarian cheese (or feta) with ricotta, one egg, black pepper, and parsley. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when scooped — if too wet, drain excess liquid.

2. 2

   Cut the pastry

   Unroll puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into 6 squares (for rectangle burekas) or 6 circles with a 10 cm cutter (for round then folded triangles). You should have 12 pieces total.

3. 3

   Fill and seal

   Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling in the center of each piece. For triangles: fold diagonally and press edges firmly. For rectangles: fold in half and press. Crimp edges with a fork.

   Do not overfill — the seam must seal completely or the filling bursts out during baking.

4. 4

   Egg wash and sesame

   Beat remaining egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush each burek generously with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (and black sesame if using).

5. 5

   Bake

   Arrange on baking trays lined with parchment, leaving 3 cm between each. Bake at 200°C for 22–25 minutes until deeply golden and puffed.

6. 6

   Cool briefly and serve

   Cool on the tray for 5 minutes — the filling is extremely hot inside. Serve warm with hard-boiled eggs, cucumber slices, and tomato in the Israeli tradition.

Variations

• •

  Potato burekas: mashed potato with caramelized onions and a little butter as the filling — the second most popular Israeli variety.

• •

  Spinach and feta burekas: blanched squeezed spinach mixed with feta and a beaten egg.

• •

  Mushroom burekas: sautéed mushrooms with onions and fresh thyme — a modern Israeli bakery variation.

Storage

Burekas are best eaten on the day of baking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature 1 day, or refrigerate 3 days. Re-crisp at 180°C for 8 minutes. They can also be frozen unbaked — freeze on trays, then transfer to bags; bake from frozen adding 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions