Recipe
Ispanaklı börek
Turkish layered pie of store-bought phyllo (yufka) filled with wilted spinach and salty white cheese, each sheet brushed with an egg, milk and butter wash and baked until deep golden.
Ispanaklı börek takes about 75 minutes and makes 6 servings. Each serving has 543 kcal.
- Preparation
- 30 minutes
- Cooking
- 45 minutes
- Total time
- 75 minutes
- Servings
- 6
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 543 kcal
- Protein
- 16.5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 38.5 g
- Fat
- 36 g
Ingredients
- Phyllo sheets450 g
- Fresh spinach500 g
- Feta cheese200 g
- Onion1 pc
- Eggs2 pcs
- Milk150 ml
- Olive oil50 ml
- Butter80 g
- Salt1 pinch
- Pepper1 pinch
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 180 °C and brush a deep baking tin with a little of the melted butter.
- 2
Soften the chopped onion in the olive oil over medium heat, about 4 minutes.
- 3
Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted and the liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes.
Tip: Wet spinach is the number one börek killer - keep cooking until the pan looks almost dry, or the bottom layers turn to mush.
- 4
Let the filling cool slightly, then crumble in the cheese and season carefully - the cheese is already salty.
- 5
Whisk the eggs with the milk, the remaining melted butter and the rest of the olive oil into a brushing wash.
- 6
Lay half the phyllo sheets in the tin one by one, brushing every sheet generously with the wash and letting the edges hang over.
Tip: Keep the waiting phyllo under a lightly damp towel - exposed sheets dry out and crack within minutes.
- 7
Spread the spinach filling evenly, then layer the remaining sheets on top, brushing each one, and fold the overhanging edges in.
- 8
Brush the top with the last of the wash and bake for about 35 minutes at 180 °C, until deep golden and crisp.
- 9
Rest the börek for 10 minutes before cutting into squares - it slices much cleaner warm than hot.
Cooking methods
On the stove
The stove only handles the filling: medium heat for the onion, a touch higher for the spinach so its water evaporates fast. Everything else is the oven's job - middle rack, no fan tricks needed.
On induction
Wilt the spinach on level 6–7 so the moisture steams off quickly instead of stewing. For the oven part induction plays no role - 180 °C conventional, middle rack.
Over an open fire
Traditionally baked in a covered pan (sač) over embers: coals below and heaped on the lid, about 40 minutes. Without a sač, bake it at home - an open flame alone cannot brown the top.
Recipe questions
- How long does this recipe take?
- Plan for about 75 minutes from start to finish.
- How many servings does this recipe make?
- This recipe makes 6 servings.
- Can I cook this recipe on induction?
- Yes. Wilt the spinach on level 6–7 so the moisture steams off quickly instead of stewing. For the oven part induction plays no role - 180 °C conventional, middle rack.
- Can I cook this recipe over an open fire?
- Yes. Traditionally baked in a covered pan (sač) over embers: coals below and heaped on the lid, about 40 minutes. Without a sač, bake it at home - an open flame alone cannot brown the top.
- Which dietary preferences does this recipe support?
- This recipe is tagged: vegetarian.
In the app
Cooking the way it should feel
One step on screen, a timer that keeps going, and clear progress until the dish is done.
