Recipe: Bureks From The Balkans - Away With Maja (2024)

There’s no time like the present to try something new! I’ve got a lot more free time on my hands now that I’m not traveling. Since we can’t go anywhere, I’ve been experimenting a lot in the kitchen and trying new recipes! First up was adjaruli khachapuri from Georgia, next was pierogi from Poland, goulash from Hungary, and now bureks from the Balkans!

A burek is a flaky pastry, usually in a coil or spiral shape, that comes in a variety of fillings. This recipe uses the cheese variety, but meat bureks are very popular, as are spinach-filled bureks.

Originating in Turkey, they are a popular snack throughout all of the Balkans. Whenever I’m on a trip to this region of Europe, you can guarantee I’ll be eating a burek! I’ve had bureks in Croatia, Montenegro, , Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania. They are generally quite cheap—and very tasty! Each country may have a different way of serving burek, and spelling it. Börek, burek, бурек, etc. — but you get the same thing in the end: pastry with a crunch and a delicious filling inside.

I was actually quite surprised at how easy this recipe is. As long as you can find filo pastry sheets, this will be pretty straightforward to follow! In this recipe I tried to list ingredients for both the US cooking system (cups) and for the rest of the world (grams). It’s not approximate, but it’s close enough and hopefully saves you having to google the conversions. I absolutely love bureks and after using this recipe, I hope you will too! Here’s the easiest burek recipe and how to make a burek (or four) at home.

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Burek Recipe

Makes: 4 medium bureks

Time Required: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

4 sheets filo pastry

1.5 cups (400 grams) crumbled feta cheese

Instructions For Cooking

1) Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C or 180˚C Fan).

2) Crumble the feta cheese and mix with parsley. I’m not a huge fan of dill, but you can also use a bit of dill in this recipe if you’d like. Mix it with the cheese and parsley.

3) Place a sheet of filo pastry on a flat surface. Melt the butter, and brush each sheet lightly with melted butter.

4) Spread a quarter of the cheese mixture along the long edge of the pastry sheet.

5) Roll the pastry sheet to form a long tube. Then curl the tube into a spiral or coil shape. Repeat for all 4 bureks.

6) Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with butter. If you wanted a slightly different flavor, you can brush it with an egg.

Alternative Options For Bureks

As I said above, meat bureks are very popular. Instead of the cheese mixture above, you can use beef mincemeat and fried diced onions (add in seasoning like paprika and a bit of cinnamon to taste). You can also make bureks with sautéed spinach with diced onion, and mix in dill.

If you’re interested in more Balkan food, you might be interested in these cookbooks! You can buy the Ultimate Balkan Cookbook on Amazon (UK) and Amazon (US). You can also buy Balkan Comfort Food: Home Cooking From The Heart on Amazon (UK) and Amazon (US).

The Balkans is one of my favorite regions in the world and definitely one of the most underrated destinations in Europe. I’ve traveled extensively around the region and have visited nearly every country. I’ve had amazing bureks in pretty much all the Balkan countries I’ve been to, and it’s a staple of my traveler’s diet when I’m on the road! Bureks usually tend to be quite cheap. In Kosovo, I had a large portion of burek that filled me up for about €1. They’re available in pretty much every bakery you’ll find, and will usually be wrapped up in paper so you can have a snack on the go. They’re impossible to miss on a trip to the Balkans!

I hope this recipe inspires you to bring a little bit of the Balkans into your life! If you find yourself in this wonderful region, make sure to have at least a burek or two on your trip!

Have you ever had a burek before? Are you going to try out the recipe? Share in the comments below!

You might like my other posts:

How Much Does It Cost To Travel The Balkans For 2.5 Weeks?

15 Signs You’ve Traveled The Balkans

Planes, Trains (Coach Buses, Minibuses, Ferries) And Automobiles: Transportation In The Western Balkans

Why I Love Traveling Eastern Europe – And Why You Should Too

Burek-popular countries: All posts for Croatia, Montenegro, , Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania

Recipe: Adajaruli Khachapuri

Recipe: Polish Pierogi

Recipe: Hungarian Goulash

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Recipe: Bureks From The Balkans - Away With Maja (2024)

FAQs

What is a burek in English? ›

Börek or burek is a kind of pastries or pies found in the Balkans, Middle East and Central Asia. The pastry is made of a thin flaky dough such as filo with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes.

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Which country made burek? ›

The recipe for "round" burek was developed in the Serbian town of Niš. In 1498, it was introduced by a famous Turkish baker, Mehmed Oğlu, from Istanbul. Eventually burek spread from the southeast (southern Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia) to the rest of Yugoslavia.

Which is healthier, puff pastry or phyllo dough? ›

Even better, switch your pastry from shortcrust or puff to filo. This is the lowest-fat pastry by far, with 2.9g fat per 100g. This compares with 26.2g for puff or 31.4g for shortcrust. Filo is the lowest-calorie option too, and it's easy to use.

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Which is the healthiest pastry? ›

Puff or flaky pastries, used in meat pies, have double that quantity of fat – and it's not usually heart-friendly fat. Filo pastry has a huge health advantage because there is no fat in the mix. It is made solely from flour and water.

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Can diabetics eat filo pastry? ›

The phyllo dough topping is infinitely more interesting than a standard crust. This recipe and other comfort food favorites made for people with diabetes is available in The American Diabetes Association Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook.

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Why do you put vinegar in phyllo dough? ›

There are two key elements to promoting the extensibility necessary in the dough: adding vinegar to the dough, which weakens some of the gluten bonding, making it less elastic; and ample resting. Of course, it takes practice, just like working with any kind of dough.

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What does borek taste like? ›

In its simplest form, burek is a savory meat pie, per Taste Atlas. It is typically a flaky filo pastry or slab of yufka, filled with a combination of cheese, meat, and/or vegetables.

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Is borek a breakfast food? ›

BOREK ROLLERS

Positioned as a breakfast appetizer or snack, the dough is filled then rolled into a spiral, baked and then served as a savory pastry or cut into decadent slices.

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