Su Boregi - Water Borek - Cooking Gorgeous

5 from 8 votes

Su Boregi - Water Borek

Su Boregi, or Water Borek, is a classic Turkish pastry made from layers of boiled dough and a feta and parsley filling. The video walks you through every step.

Prep Time1

Cook Time50

Total Time1 50

Course: Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: pieces

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

For the Filling

2 cups crumbled feta cheese (500 grams)
½ cup parsley (chopped)

For the Layers

1 cup melted butter (200 grams)
¼ cup vegetable or sunflower oil

For the Pastry

6 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable or sunflower oil
3 ¾ cups strong white flour for the dough (450 grams)
⅓ cup strong white flour for rolling out the pastries (50 grams)

For Cooking the Pastries

1 large pot of water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable or sunflower oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Filling

Crumble the feta cheese in a medium-sized bowl.
Finely chop the parsley and add it to the cheese.
Gently combine the cheese and parsley, and set them aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter with ¼ cup of oil and set them aside.

Prepare the Dough

Place 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, salt, and eggs in a large bowl and whisk until all is mixed.
Add the flour gradually to the egg mixture and combine until it forms a dough. The amount of flour depends on the size of the eggs.
Knead the dough to form a smooth but firm dough using your hands or a stand mixer.
Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and turn them into balls.
Cover the balls with a damp cloth or cling film and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Roll out the Yufka

Turn one of the small dough balls onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a size of small plate, the size of 12 cm (5"). Sprinkle it with a generous amount of flour and set it aside.
Take another small dough ball and roll it out the same size as the first one. Place it on top of the first dough ball and sprinkle on some more flour.
Repeat until you have 3 dough balls rolled out and put them on top of each other, making sure there is plenty of flour in between them.
Build another group of 3 dough balls and 4 dough balls the same way, and let them rest for 10 minutes. You should have three groups of pastries made with three +three+four balls (10 in total).
Generously flour your kitchen top and start rolling out the pastry groups into larger sizes pastries, size of 25 cm (10"). Make sure there is enough flour between the layers to avoid the pastries sticking to each other while rolling them out.
Let them rest for another 10 minutes before the last stage of rolling the pastries into yufka.
Place a large pan filled with water on medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Bring the pan to a boil while finishing the yufka sheets.
For the final stage of rolling out the yufka sheets, generously flour your kitchen top. You will need a long rolling pin called "oklava" at that stage.
Place one of the pastries on your kitchen top and roll it out to the size of your baking pan, 35 cm (14") dia. Use a generous amount of flour to avoid it sticking. Fold it into four and set it aside. Cover it with a clean cloth and repeat the same for the remaining 9 pastries.

Blanch the Yufka Sheets

Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl and place it next to the boiling water.
Spare two yufka sheets aside and start blanching the remaining 8 yufka.
Pick one of the yufka, dust off the extra flour, gently lower it into boiling water, and press to submerge. Depending on the size of your pan, you can blanch two or three yufka sheets at the same time.
Simmer them for 30 to 40 seconds, remove them carefully using a sieve or a slotted spoon and drop them into the ice-cold water. You might need to change the ice-cold water a few times during the process to make sure you have very cold water for each piece of yufka sheets.
When the yufka sheets are cooled down, lift them with your hands, and lay them onto the strainer to get rid of the water.
When you have 4 yufka sheets blanched and cooled down, start building the borek.

Build the Borek

Brush your baking tray with a generous amount of melted butter.
Place one of the "uncooked" yufka sheets on the tray and brush it with melted butter.
On top of the uncooked yufka, place one of the blanched yufka carefully. The blanched yufka will be much larger so you will need to shrink it to the size of the pan. Brush it with a generous amount of butter.
Repeat the same with the remaining three blanched yufka sheets and spread on the cheese filling evenly.
Preheat your oven to 180° C (360° F) before proceeding to blanch the rest of the sheets.
Blanch, cool down, and drain the rest of 4 yufka sheets the same way to finish building the borek.
Layer the 4 blanched yufka sheets on top of the filling, brushing generously in between the sheets.
Place the second "uncooked" yufka sheet that you spared on the top and brush it with the remaining melted butter-oil mixture.
Cook the borek for 45 to 50 minutes, until the bottom and the top, are both nicely browned and crispy.
Let it rest for 15 minutes before portioning and serving.

Video

Notes

Dough should be smooth and firm, about the same as a good pasta dough. Use the flour amount in the recipe card as a starting point and add more as needed. Keep the dough balls covered with a damp cloth while they rest so they don't dry out.
Dust plenty of flour between the rolled-out yufka sheets so they don't stick together.
Dust off any extra flour before blanching, and blanch each yufka for just 30 to 40 seconds so the sheets don't get too soft.
Change your ice water a few times as you go. Each yufka needs a truly cold soak.
Brush a generous, even layer of the butter and oil mixture between every sheet. This is what gives Su Boregi its rich flavor and crisp, golden layers.
Spread the filling in a thin, even layer so it bakes through evenly and doesn't leak out.
No fresh parsley on hand? A tablespoon of dried parsley works in a pinch, though fresh gives the best flavor.
Can't find feta? A mix of ricotta and mozzarella, or Turkish beyaz peynir, makes a good substitute.
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze it, baked or unbaked, for up to five months.

Nutrition