Kol Boregi, or Turkish Arm Borek, is a savory pastry made with thin yufka sheets and a ground beef filling. In Turkey we eat it warm for breakfast, or with a bowl of soup for a light dinner.
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I make mine with shop-bought yufka, which keeps the work down to about 30 minutes. You can make the filling two days ahead, and the unbaked rolls keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What Is Kol Boregi?
Kol means arm in Turkish, and the name comes from the long rolls the pastry is shaped into. You spread the filling along a sheet of yufka, roll it into a thin log, then either fold that log into thirds so it sits like an arm, or coil it into a spiral. Both shapes are traditional and both are on this page.
It belongs to the same family as rose borek, where the log is curled into a tight swirl instead. Outside Turkey you will see it called maznik in North Macedonia, and the meat-filled version goes by sarburma in parts of the Balkans. Cheese, potato and spinach fillings are just as common as meat.
If you would rather watch than read, the video below shows how to fill, roll and fold each one.
Why This Recipe Works
- Shop-bought yufka does the hard part. You skip the dough entirely and still get the thin layers that make a proper borek.
- There is no butter to melt and no layers to brush one at a time. One jug of sauce does the whole tray.
- Grated carrot keeps the meat from drying out in the oven, and it is the change I am most pleased with in this recipe.
- Nothing here needs a mixer or a rolling pin. One pan for the filling, one bowl for the sauce, and a tray.
- You can shape it as arms or as one big spiral, so it suits a lunchbox or a table centerpiece without changing the recipe.
- It freezes unbaked and goes in the oven straight from frozen, which is why I never make just one tray.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients for Meat Filling
- Ground meat - You can use beef, lamb, or a combination of both for the filling. For the best flavor, opt for mince with at least 15-20% fat. With that much fat, the meat releases enough while browning to sauté the onions, so you do not need to add olive oil.
- Onion - It provides umami flavor and sweetness to the meat filling. You can use white, brown, or yellow onions.
- Carrots - Grated carrots add sweetness and a bit of texture to the meat filling. It is not a traditional addition, but it is worth trying.
- Seasoning - Salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, and chili flakes are the spices I add to a meat borek filling. A pinch of cumin works well too.
Ingredients for Building Kol Boregi
- Yufka - They are easy to find online or from Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops. This recipe works well with filo pastries too. They are available in most supermarkets and shops, and you can buy them fresh or frozen.
- Egg - It gives color as well as flavor to the borek. You can omit and add extra oil and/or yogurt to the sauce.
- Milk - I use 2% or whole milk. You can replace the milk with yogurt.
- Yogurt - Plain or natural yogurt with no sugar and flavor added. It gives the borek a fluffy and light texture.
- Vinegar - A small amount of apple cider or any other white vinegar will help your borek to be softer inside while it's crispy outside.
- Vegetable oil - You can substitute it with melted butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil. It helps crisping up the borek.
How to Make Kol Boregi?
Prepare the Meat Filling
Place a heavy-based pan on medium heat and brown the ground meat breaking it up as it cooks until it releases its fat.
Depending on the fat ratio of your mince, you might have some fat enough to sauté the onions and carrots.
If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions along with grated carrots until soft.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes. Add a little water if the filling looks too dry, give it a good stir, and remove the pan from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Build the Kol Boregi
To make the sauce, whisk the egg in a jug or a bowl. Add the vegetable oil, milk, yogurt, and vinegar to the eggs. Mix well until all combined. Set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F). Line a rectangular baking tray size of 35 cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") or a 28 cm (11") dia baking pan with a baking sheet.
Cut the yufka sheets in halves, you will have 6 pieces of yufka halves. Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing.
Lay one piece of half yufka on a clean work surface, drizzle 2 tbsps of the sauce, and spread it evenly using a brush.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side. Fold the flat end over the filling, then gently roll the pastry from the wider side into a long cylinder shape.
Fold the long rolled pastry into thirds, as shown in the picture, to form an arm or "N" shape. Repeat the process with the remaining yufka pieces.
Place the shaped boreks on a baking tray and brush with the rest of the sauce generously. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds.
Place the tray in the oven and cook the boreks for 35- 40 minutes or until golden brown.
How to Shape Kol Boregi as a Spiral
Most bakeries in Turkey sell it as one big spiral, cut into wedges like a cake. Roll the filled yufka into a long log the same way, but leave it unfolded.
Coil the first log loosely in the middle of a lined 28 cm (11") round tin, then wrap each new log around it, joining the ends as you go.
Roll each log firmly as before, but leave a little slack in the coil itself. A tightly wound spiral has nowhere to expand and it splits along the top as it bakes.
Brush it well, scatter over the seeds, and give it the same 35 to 40 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes before you cut it, or the wedges fall apart.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- You can make the meat filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your kol borek.
- Let the meat filling cool before it goes on the yufka. A hot filling softens the pastry and it will not crisp up.
- Take the yufka out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start. Cold yufka cracks as soon as you roll it.
- Roll each log firmly. A loose roll opens up in the oven and the filling spills out.
- Rest the shaped boreks for about 15 minutes before they go in the oven. They come out crisper.
- Bake on the middle shelf so they brown evenly on top and underneath.
- Leave them uncovered once they are out if you want them crisp. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes if you like a softer pastry.
- Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the borek in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
- You can double the recipe up and keep the cooked borek pieces in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can also keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Variations
- Swap the meat for crumbled white cheese mixed with chopped parsley. This is the version most Turkish bakeries sell alongside the meat one.
- Use cooked spinach with feta or lor cheese, the way it is done in Spinach Borek - Ispanaklı Börek. Cook the spinach until the water has gone, or it will make the pastry soggy.
- Fill it with mashed potato cooked with onion and a little tomato paste, like Potato Borek - Patatesli Börek. Do not over-boil the potatoes or the filling turns to paste.
- Grated zucchini squeezed dry, with cheese and plenty of dill, makes a lighter summer filling.
- For mini kol boregi, cut each yufka half into two before you fill it, so you get short rolls instead of long ones. They take the same 35 to 40 minutes in the oven.
- For more filled pastries with the same yufka, try Sigara Boregi - Turkish Cheese Rolls or Spinach and Feta Pie Recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Kol Boregi is best served warm, straight from the oven. I usually serve it with a bowl of Turkish Tarhana Soup - Tarhana Çorbası, Orzo Soup (Şehriye Çorbası), Turkish Red Lentil Soup, or Ezogelin Çorbası for a light lunch.
You can also add Mango Salad with Avocado and Cucumber, Makarna Salatası - Healthy Turkish Pasta Salad, a dollop of Homemade Greek Yogurt, or a side of Pickled Cabbage for a complete meal.
And don’t forget the tea; this pastry is practically made to be enjoyed with a hot cup of Turkish Tea - Çay or a glass of ice-cold Ayran (Turkish Yogurt Drink).
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
You can make the meat filling up to two days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Shape the boreks on the day you want to bake them, or shape them ahead and freeze them unbaked for up to 3 months.
Frozen boreks go straight into the preheated oven with no thawing, they just need an extra 5 to 10 minutes.
Baked kol boregi keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat it in the oven or the air fryer rather than the microwave, which softens the pastry. A few minutes at 180° C - 360° F brings the crispness back.
Recipe FAQs
Both countries have it, and so do the Balkans and the Middle East. The word börek is Turkish and the pastry spread through the Ottoman kitchen, which is why versions of it turn up from Bosnia to Israel. The Greek version is called bourekia, and it is usually made with filo rather than yufka.
Turkish beyaz peynir is the standard, and feta is the closest substitute you will find in most shops. Mix it with a softer cheese like lor or ricotta if you want it creamier, or with grated kasar for a stretchier melt. Salty cheeses need no extra salt in the filling.
Three things cause it. A warm filling steams the pastry from the inside, so let it cool first. A wet filling does the same, which is why spinach and zucchini need squeezing dry. And covering the tray straight out of the oven traps the steam, so leave it uncovered if you want it crisp.
Yufka straight from the fridge is stiff and cracks along the folds. Take it out about 30 minutes before you start and it will be pliable again. Small tears are not a problem once the log is rolled and brushed, the sauce glues the layers back together.
Yes. Filo pastry is the easiest swap, though it is thinner, so use two sheets where the recipe calls for one half of a yufka. Brush between the layers with the same sauce so they behave like a single sheet.
Related Recipes
For more Turkish borek recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this deliciously crispy and flaky Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Kol Boregi - Turkish Arm Borek
Ingredients
For the Meat Filling
- 12 oz ground meat (350 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ cup water
For Building the Borek
- 3 pieces yufka sheet
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup vegetable or sunflower oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon Plain natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds (to garnish)
Instructions
Prepare the Meat Filling
- Place a heavy-based pan on medium heat and brown the ground meat breaking it up as it cooks until it releases its fat.
- Depending on the fat ratio of your mince, you might have some fat enough to sauté the onions and carrots. If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions along with grated carrots until soft.
- Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes.
- Add a little water if the filling looks too dry, give it a good stir, and remove the pan from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Build Kol Boregi
- To make the sauce, whisk the egg in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the vegetable oil, milk, yogurt, and vinegar to the eggs. Mix well until all combined. Set it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F). Line a rectangular baking tray size of 35 cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") or a 28 cm (11") dia baking pan with a baking sheet.
- Cut the yufka sheets in halves, you will have 6 pieces of yufka halves.
- Lay one piece of half yufka on a clean work surface, drizzle 2 tbsps of the sauce, and spread it evenly using a brush.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
- Fold the flat end over the filling, then gently roll the pastry from the wider side into a long cylinder shape.
- Fold the long rolled pastry into thirds, as shown in the picture, to form an arm or "N" shape. Repeat the process with the remaining yufka pieces.
- Place the shaped boreks on a baking tray and brush with the rest of the sauce generously. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds.
- Place the tray in the oven and cook the boreks for 35- 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Shaping It as a Spiral (Optional)
- Roll the filled yufka into a long thin log exactly as above, but do not fold it into thirds.
- Coil the log into a loose spiral and sit it in the middle of a lined 28 cm (11") round tin.
- Coil each of the remaining logs around the first one, joining the ends as you go, until the tin is full and you have one large spiral.
- Brush the whole spiral generously with the rest of the sauce, sprinkle on sesame or nigella seeds, and bake as above for 35 to 40 minutes. Cut it into wedges to serve.
Video
Notes
- You can make the meat filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your kol borek.
- Let the filling cool before it goes on the yufka. A hot filling softens the pastry and it will not crisp up properly.
- Take the yufka out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start. Cold yufka cracks as you roll it.
- Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing. Filo pastry works too, and small tears close up once the borek is rolled.
- Roll each log firmly. A loose roll opens up in the oven and the filling falls out.
- Rest the shaped boreks for about 15 minutes before they go in the oven for a crisper result.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the borek in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries. Bake on the middle shelf so they brown evenly.
- Leave them uncovered after baking if you want them crisp. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes if you prefer a softer pastry.
- You can shape the rolls as long arms, or coil them into one large spiral in a round tin. Both bake in the same time.
- For a meat-free version, swap the filling for cheese and parsley, cooked spinach with feta or lor, or mashed potato with onion.
- You can double the recipe up and keep the cooked borek pieces in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can also keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Kol Boregi keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven or air fryer for that just-baked crispiness.
Tracy says
They turned out delicious! I made half with cheese and half with meat. Will be making them again with different fillings. Thank you for the recipe!