Burek is something my family loves and we are lucky enough where we live that you can buy great bureks. It is the most delicious pastry, nothing like store bought filo, with a simple mince filling, but it is delicious. Honestly when my husband calls and says he's in Rockdale do we want burek, we never say no.
But like with everything else, I love trying to make things myself. So I give burek making a go.
If you listen to people who make bureks all the time they will tell you, you make the dough by feel, no recipe is needed. Now to a novice like me or for someone whose grandmother or mother never made bureks, this is not something that can happen, we need a recipe as a guide, so that one day we can also say I make the dough by feel. But until that happens, here is a beginners recipe for burek making, experts look away, it will never be as good as your grandmothers or your mothers bureks, but it is really good.
Now this is not a midweek meal dish, this is a lazy Sunday where you have loads of time, and you just want to play in the kitchen a bit.
Where the recipe tells you to divide the dough into two dough balls, those new to stretching dough can divide it into three dough balls.
I use half of my dining table, I am no where near as good as those that can stretch it over an entire table.
Don't add extra mince, I did once when I had a 500g pack and though why not, well because it was too much mince.
If you get holes in dough, don't stress, once you roll the whole thing up, no one will now.
Next time I make this I will add more detailed photos.
Anyway here is beginners 101 in burek making, lets become experts together.
But like with everything else, I love trying to make things myself. So I give burek making a go.
If you listen to people who make bureks all the time they will tell you, you make the dough by feel, no recipe is needed. Now to a novice like me or for someone whose grandmother or mother never made bureks, this is not something that can happen, we need a recipe as a guide, so that one day we can also say I make the dough by feel. But until that happens, here is a beginners recipe for burek making, experts look away, it will never be as good as your grandmothers or your mothers bureks, but it is really good.
Now this is not a midweek meal dish, this is a lazy Sunday where you have loads of time, and you just want to play in the kitchen a bit.
Where the recipe tells you to divide the dough into two dough balls, those new to stretching dough can divide it into three dough balls.
I use half of my dining table, I am no where near as good as those that can stretch it over an entire table.
Don't add extra mince, I did once when I had a 500g pack and though why not, well because it was too much mince.
If you get holes in dough, don't stress, once you roll the whole thing up, no one will now.
Next time I make this I will add more detailed photos.
Anyway here is beginners 101 in burek making, lets become experts together.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Andrea Pisac's cookbook Croatian Savoury Baking
Makes 1 large burek or 6 individual bureks
For the phyllo dough:
500g bread flour
4g salt
280ml water, lukewarm
20ml sunflower oil, plus more to coat the dough
10ml apple cider vinegar
For the meat filling:
200g onion, finely chopped
350g beef mince
10g salt
2g pepper
30ml water
For the coating:
100ml water
50ml sunflower oil
40g bread flour, extra, for dusting
For the phyllo dough: Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and whisk to blend evenly.
Combine water, oil and vinegar in a bowl, stir then pour into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, bring the dough together-it will be shaggy at this point.
Use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to work the dough at medium speed for 5-6 minutes, The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl easily. Transfer it to a work surface and give it a few kneads. The dough should not stick to your surface or your hands.
(If you don't have a stand mixer, knead by hand for about 20 minutes).
Divide the dough into two equal parts/dough balls. Place each in a separate dish, brush with a thin layer of oil and cover with cling film. Set aside to rest for at least one hour at room temperature.
For the meat filling: Add the chopped onion to the beef mince. Mix in the salt, pepper and water. Mix with your hand until it becomes a compact mass. Cover and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced.
For individual bureks you will need to grease a large rectangular baking tray.
For the large bureks you will need to grease two large pizza trays.
Cover your worksurface (I use 1/2 my dining table) with a clean tablecloth and dust it all over with flour.
Place the first dough ball in the middle and flatten it with your hands, aiming for a rectangular shape if you have a rectangular dining table or round if using a round table. Using a rolling pin, stretch the dough further, uniformly in each direction. Sprinkle with a little oil and gently spread it on the dough with your hand. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Place your hands underneath the dough, palms facing upwards, as far as you can towards the centre. Gently stretch the dough, always from the centre to the edge. By the end, your dough should be virtually transparent. Trim off any thick edges.
The size of one dough ball is enough for three burek shapes so run a knife along the dough area to divide it into three parts.
Take half of your mince (set the other half of the mince aside for your other dough ball). From the first half of the mince divide it into three equal parts. Scatter 1/3 of the mince on one long end (usually the end closest to you) of each of your dough pieces and in the middle, but leave 1/3 of the dough mince free. This empty length will form the outer layers of the burek and adds crunch.
You will use the tablecloth to help roll up the bureks. Lift the edge of the tablecloth using two hands that are spread out to the width of the dough and roll up the dough, the rolls should be slightly thicker than your thumb. Now you will shape this roll, then repeat this process with the middle mince filled piece of dough, then the last mince filled piece of dough.
How to shape them: Now you can make individual bureks where you will get 6 bureks or you can make 2 large bureks, that is up to you.
For the large ones: Lift up the dough roll and place one end in the centre of your greased pizza tray, now roll up the dough into a spiral shape (think a snail shape). Now your second mince filled roll, you will put one end right next to the end of your first roll and continue the spiral pattern. Do the same with your third mince filled roll. Brush the bureks lightly with a little oil.
For the individual shapes: You are going for a more oval shape here than round, take each mince filled roll and you will swirl it around itself four times. Place each burek on your greased baking tray. Brush the bureks lightly with a little oil.
Repeat this whole process with the second dough ball and the remaining mince until you have 2 large bureks or 6 individual bureks.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180C/160C fan forced and bake for a further 25 minutes.
In a bowl mix together the water and oil.
Take the bureks out of the oven and brush them with the water and oil mixture and return to the oven for about 5 minutes until you have a golden crust,
Serve warm. Individual ones serve whole, the large ones cut up into triangles like a pizza.
Makes 1 large burek or 6 individual bureks
For the phyllo dough:
500g bread flour
4g salt
280ml water, lukewarm
20ml sunflower oil, plus more to coat the dough
10ml apple cider vinegar
For the meat filling:
200g onion, finely chopped
350g beef mince
10g salt
2g pepper
30ml water
For the coating:
100ml water
50ml sunflower oil
40g bread flour, extra, for dusting
For the phyllo dough: Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and whisk to blend evenly.
Combine water, oil and vinegar in a bowl, stir then pour into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, bring the dough together-it will be shaggy at this point.
Use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to work the dough at medium speed for 5-6 minutes, The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl easily. Transfer it to a work surface and give it a few kneads. The dough should not stick to your surface or your hands.
(If you don't have a stand mixer, knead by hand for about 20 minutes).
Divide the dough into two equal parts/dough balls. Place each in a separate dish, brush with a thin layer of oil and cover with cling film. Set aside to rest for at least one hour at room temperature.
For the meat filling: Add the chopped onion to the beef mince. Mix in the salt, pepper and water. Mix with your hand until it becomes a compact mass. Cover and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced.
For individual bureks you will need to grease a large rectangular baking tray.
For the large bureks you will need to grease two large pizza trays.
Cover your worksurface (I use 1/2 my dining table) with a clean tablecloth and dust it all over with flour.
Place the first dough ball in the middle and flatten it with your hands, aiming for a rectangular shape if you have a rectangular dining table or round if using a round table. Using a rolling pin, stretch the dough further, uniformly in each direction. Sprinkle with a little oil and gently spread it on the dough with your hand. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Place your hands underneath the dough, palms facing upwards, as far as you can towards the centre. Gently stretch the dough, always from the centre to the edge. By the end, your dough should be virtually transparent. Trim off any thick edges.
The size of one dough ball is enough for three burek shapes so run a knife along the dough area to divide it into three parts.
Take half of your mince (set the other half of the mince aside for your other dough ball). From the first half of the mince divide it into three equal parts. Scatter 1/3 of the mince on one long end (usually the end closest to you) of each of your dough pieces and in the middle, but leave 1/3 of the dough mince free. This empty length will form the outer layers of the burek and adds crunch.
You will use the tablecloth to help roll up the bureks. Lift the edge of the tablecloth using two hands that are spread out to the width of the dough and roll up the dough, the rolls should be slightly thicker than your thumb. Now you will shape this roll, then repeat this process with the middle mince filled piece of dough, then the last mince filled piece of dough.
How to shape them: Now you can make individual bureks where you will get 6 bureks or you can make 2 large bureks, that is up to you.
For the large ones: Lift up the dough roll and place one end in the centre of your greased pizza tray, now roll up the dough into a spiral shape (think a snail shape). Now your second mince filled roll, you will put one end right next to the end of your first roll and continue the spiral pattern. Do the same with your third mince filled roll. Brush the bureks lightly with a little oil.
For the individual shapes: You are going for a more oval shape here than round, take each mince filled roll and you will swirl it around itself four times. Place each burek on your greased baking tray. Brush the bureks lightly with a little oil.
Repeat this whole process with the second dough ball and the remaining mince until you have 2 large bureks or 6 individual bureks.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180C/160C fan forced and bake for a further 25 minutes.
In a bowl mix together the water and oil.
Take the bureks out of the oven and brush them with the water and oil mixture and return to the oven for about 5 minutes until you have a golden crust,
Serve warm. Individual ones serve whole, the large ones cut up into triangles like a pizza.
Enjoy!
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Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060721346266/
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