CookinCityRecipes & Articles For Better Cooking At Home

Burekas - A Wonderful Balkan Cheesy Pastry

The Perfect Breakfast or Brunch Treat!

Quick answerMakes 8-10 servings, ready in 45 minutes, cook at 400F / 200C, Israeli cuisine.
By Jaron Kimhi··👁 554 views
Burekas
Burekas, Borek, Burik, Burekitas — all names for a family of pastries traditionally filled with cheese and other goodies. In Turkey they make it with phyllo dough, but the Jewish version uses puff pastry. There's no one definitive version, and honestly I love them all. I'm kind of biased toward the puff pastry version because that's what I grew up on, and the cheese mixture we use makes it extra special. So here's the Israeli version — and usually you make Burekas smaller. But... when it comes to breakfast or brunch you want to make them bigger, because it's traditional to stuff them. You can fill them with hard-boiled egg, salad, more cheese, pickles, etc. Burekas is a great vessel and will accept pretty much anything you fill it with.

Tips For Success:

  1. Feel free to make your own puff pastry. I think store-bought is very good though.
  2. Make sure you work with cold dough. Otherwise it gets very hard to work with.
  3. You can use other types of cheese mixtures or even fillings like cheese & eggplant, or spinach. It's all good!
  4. Make sure the cheese filling isn't too watery, otherwise the pastry will get soggy on the bottom.
  If puff pastry isn't really your thing, maybe try cream puffs....Who doesn't love cream puffs??

Method

  1. 1

    Making the Cheese Mixture· 5 Minutes

    Mix an egg, cottage cheese and mozzarella together. It is actually better to replace the mozza with a cheese mixture that contains several types like provolone, gouda, edam or whatever you feel like. Season with some salt and pepper.

    Burekas-Ingredientsmix-egg-with-cheeseStep 1
  2. 2

    Forming The Burekas· 10 Minutes

    Heat an oven to 400F / 200C. Spread the puff pastry. Make sure the dough is cold and not room temperature otherwise it will be very hard to work with. Depending on the shape you want your burekas to be cut the dough into squares for triangle burekas or long rectangle for long tubular shape. Spread the cheese mixture accordingly and close the dough by moving a wet finger on the edge of the dough and press the two sides of the dough with a fork. Beat an egg with some water and coat the top of each pastry with it. spread some sesame seeds on top and... into the oven! It should take around 30 minutes depending on the oven and the burekas is ready when it is golden brown.

    spreading-the-doughspread-the-cheese-fillingegg-on-topspread-sesame-seedsburekas-is-readyburekas-is-ready
Recipe by

Jaron Kimhi

Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.

More recipes by Jaron →

You might also like

shakshuka
Mediterranean

Basic and Tasty Shakshuka

⏱ 25-30 Minutes👁 403
Labneh
Mediterranean

Labneh

⏱ 8-10 Hours👁 330
Salted caramel ice cream
International

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

⏱ 6 hours👁 484
Gnocchi alla Romana
Italian

Gnocchi alla Romana

⏱ 2 hours 20 minutes👁 446
Categories
BrunchPastry
Cuisines
Israeli
Features
VegetarianEggsDairy
Tags
breakfastpastry

Questions & answers

Can I use a different cheese instead of mozzarella?
Absolutely — the recipe actually recommends it. Go for a mix of provolone, gouda, edam, or whatever you've got in the fridge.
My puff pastry keeps tearing when I work with it — what am I doing wrong?
It's probably too warm. Keep the dough cold right up until you're ready to shape — room temperature pastry is a nightmare to handle.
What shapes can I make these in?
Cut squares for triangle burekas or long rectangles for a tubular roll shape — both work great with the same filling.
How do I make sure the edges stay sealed during baking?
Run a wet finger along the edge before pressing both sides together firmly with a fork — that combo keeps everything locked in.
How do I know when the burekas are done?
Pull them out when they're golden brown — around 30 minutes, but keep an eye on them since every oven runs a little differently.