Tavada Su Böreği
(tah-vah-dah soo bur-rey-ee)
Kahvaltı (The Weekend Before Coffee Spread)
The traditional Su Böreği is a breathtaking masterpiece of maternal labor—sheets of dough, individually boiled, shocked in ice, and layered with butter. It's also entirely impossible on a Tuesday night. But the grandmothers, pragmatic as always, found a brilliant cheat code. This 'Yalancı' (mock) version skips the boiling entirely, using sparkling mineral water to force the same pillowy, custard-like rise from pre-made yufka. Cooked in a single skillet, it’s a piece of domestic engineering that delivers the profound, crispy-chewy comfort of the homeland in twenty minutes.
Before you start
Whisk the hydration sauce.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the milk, oil, yogurt, eggs, flour, and salt until completely smooth. Set aside. Do not add the sparkling water yet.
Mix the filling.
In a separate bowl, toss the mashed feta, grated mozzarella, chopped parsley, and pepper together until well combined.
Ingredients
- whole milk1/2 cup
- neutral cooking oil1/4 cup
- plain whole-milk yogurt3 tbsp
- eggs2 large
- all-purpose flour1 tbsp
- salt1/2 tsp
- sparkling mineral water1/2 cup
- full-fat feta cheese in brine8 oz
- low-moisture mozzarella or provolone cheese4 oz
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup
- black pepper or Aleppo pepper1 pinch
- thick Turkish yufka or country-style phyllo dough1 package
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Build the foundation.
Generously rub 1 tablespoon of the butter all over the inside of a cold 10-to-12-inch non-stick skillet. Lay one whole sheet of yufka gently in the center, letting the excess edges drape generously over the sides of the pan like a tablecloth.
- 02
Activate the sauce.
Stir the sparkling mineral water into your reserved wet mixture. It will immediately froth up—this carbonation is the secret to replicating the airy, boiled texture of the original dish.
- 03
Crumple and hydrate the middle layers.
Tear a second sheet of yufka into large, irregular pieces and drop them loosely into the pan. Do not pack them down; the messy wrinkles create necessary air pockets. Ladle half of your bubbling sauce evenly over this crumpled dough.
- 04
Add the cheese filling.
Scatter the entire feta, mozzarella, and parsley mixture evenly over the wet dough layer.
- 05
Top and seal the börek.
Tear the remaining yufka sheets into pieces, crumple them loosely over the cheese, and pour the remaining sauce all over the top. Fold the overhanging edges of the bottom sheet up and over the center to seal the börek into a neat, round package. Press down very gently.
- 06
Pan-fry the bottom crust.
Place the skillet on the stove over medium-low heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let it cook undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes. The trapped steam cooks the custardy interior while the butter crisps the bottom to a deep, golden brown.
- 07
Flip and finish.
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully slide the börek onto a large plate, or invert it onto the pan's lid. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the hot pan, then slide the börek back in, raw side down. Cook uncovered for another 8 to 10 minutes until the second side is equally golden and crispy.
- 08
Rest before slicing.
Slide the finished börek onto a cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes so the interior can set, then cut into squares or wedges and serve hot.
Notes
The thin phyllo emergency protocol.
If you can only find standard, paper-thin grocery store phyllo, do not lay it flat. Take 4 to 5 sheets at a time and scrunch them together like an accordion. This density mimics the chew of authentic yufka and prevents it from turning to mush when hydrated.
Let it rest for the best texture.
If you aren't rushing to get dinner on the table, let the assembled, raw börek rest in the fridge for an hour before it hits the stove. Giving the dough time to fully 'drink' the carbonated sauce yields an incredibly pillowy interior.
From Cook Turkish in America.