Gözleme
Turkey's beloved thin flatbread crêpe — hand-rolled, filled with spinach and feta or spiced lamb, then folded and cooked on a sac until golden and crispy.
About This Recipe
Gözleme is one of Turkey's most popular street foods — a thin, paper-like flatbread (yufka) that is filled, folded, and cooked on a large domed griddle (sac) by women who roll and cook simultaneously with impressive speed. The most popular fillings are ispanaklı peynirli (spinach and feta), kıymalı (spiced ground lamb), and patatesli (potato with onion). The flatbread is rolled to translucency, filled, folded into a square or rectangle, and cooked on the hot sac with a little butter until golden, crispy, and slightly charred in spots. Gözleme is eaten standing up at markets and festivals, or at gözlemeci shops across Turkey.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 300 gplain flour
- ½ tspsalt
- 150 mlwarm water
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 250 gfresh spinach(wilted, squeezed dry, chopped)
- 200 gfeta cheese(crumbled)
- ½ tspred pepper flakes
- Butterfor cooking
Instructions
- 1
Make the dough
Mix flour, salt, water, and oil to a smooth, soft dough. Knead 5 minutes. Divide into 8 balls. Rest covered 30 minutes.
- 2
Make the filling
Mix wilted, well-squeezed spinach with crumbled feta and red pepper flakes.
- 3
Roll very thin
On a floured surface, roll each ball to an extremely thin circle (2–3 mm) — almost translucent. Don't worry if the edges are irregular.
The thinner the flatbread, the crispier and more authentic the gözleme. Take your time with rolling.
- 4
Fill and fold
Spread filling over half the flatbread. Fold in half, then fold again to form a quarter-circle or rectangle.
- 5
Cook on griddle
Heat a large pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add a little butter. Cook gözleme 2–3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Press down lightly with a spatula for even contact.
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Pro Tips
- →
Squeezing all liquid from the spinach prevents soggy gözleme.
- →
Cook over medium-high heat — too low makes it leathery, too high burns it before the inside heats through.
- →
Eat immediately — gözleme loses its crispiness quickly.
Variations
- •
Kıymalı (lamb): cook ground lamb with onion, pepper, and spices instead of spinach.
- •
Patatesli (potato): mashed potato with onion, dill, and butter.
- •
Add black olives to the spinach-feta filling for a Mediterranean touch.
Storage
Best eaten immediately. Reheats in a dry pan but loses some crispiness.
History & Origin
Gözleme has been made in Turkish villages for centuries, typically by women (nine or yufkacı) who specialised in making thin flatbreads. The sac (curved iron griddle) is the essential tool — its dome shape distributes heat perfectly for thin bread cookery. As Turkish urbanisation increased, gözleme became a nostalgic village food marketed at markets and tourist sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought filo pastry instead of making dough?
Filo is too thin and delicate for gözleme. Yufka (Turkish flatbread pastry) is closer. Making the dough fresh gives the best authentic result.
What is a sac?
A sac is a large, convex iron griddle traditionally heated over a wood fire. A regular large flat frying pan or griddle works perfectly for home cooking.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · 4 servings total
Time Summary
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