Gözleme with Spinach and Feta — Turkish Stuffed Flatbread

About This Recipe

Gözleme is one of the great Turkish street foods — a large, thin flatbread (yufka) that is filled, folded and cooked on a sac, the traditional domed iron griddle that Turkish women have used for centuries. Watching an expert gözlemeci spin the dough tissue-thin and fold it into perfect golden squares is one of the great food theatre experiences of Turkey. The word gözleme comes from 'göz' (eye), referring to the small bubbles that appear on the dough's surface as it cooks. The dough is a simple unleavened flour-water mixture, rolled incredibly thin, filled, folded once or twice to enclose the filling, then cooked with butter until blistered and golden. Spinach and feta is the most classic filling combination, but gözleme is endlessly versatile: minced meat, potato, kaşar cheese, mushroom and herb versions all exist. The key to great gözleme is rolling the dough thin enough that it becomes almost translucent, and cooking over medium-high heat so the outside crisps while the filling heats through.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gplain flour(plus extra for dusting)
• 150 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 300 gfresh spinach(washed)
• 200 gfeta cheese(crumbled)
• 1 smallonion(finely diced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 0.5 tsppul biber
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 30 gfresh parsley(chopped)
• 40 gbutter(for cooking)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, salt, oil and water. Knead 8 minutes until smooth and soft. Divide into 4 balls. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

   Gözleme dough should be very soft and pliable — softer than bread dough.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Sauté onion in oil until soft. Add spinach and garlic; cook until wilted and all moisture has evaporated. Season with pul biber and pepper. Cool, then mix with crumbled feta and parsley.

3. 3

   Roll thin

   On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a very thin circle or oval, about 35–40cm diameter.

4. 4

   Fill and fold

   Spread filling over one half of the dough, leaving a 1cm border. Fold the other half over to cover. Press edges to seal. Alternatively, place filling in the centre and fold into thirds.

5. 5

   Cook

   Heat a large dry griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook gözleme 2–3 minutes until golden and blistered, pressing gently. Flip, add a knob of butter and cook 2–3 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Potato gözleme: fill with mashed potato seasoned with onion and butter.

• •

  Minced meat gözleme: fill with browned seasoned lamb mince.

• •

  Cheese-only gözleme: kaşar cheese (or mozzarella) melts beautifully.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Leftover gözleme can be reheated in a dry pan — do not microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions