Burek (Flaky Filled Pastry)
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Filo pastry sheets — 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
- Minced pork or beef — 400 g (14 oz)
- Onion, finely chopped — 1
- Sunflower oil — 1 tbsp
- Sweet paprika — 1 tsp
- Salt and black pepper, — to taste
- Sunflower oil, for brushing — 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
- Sparkling water — 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
- Plain yogurt, to serve (optional)
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced meat, paprika, salt and pepper, and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spoon. Let cool slightly.
- Mix the sunflower oil for brushing with the sparkling water in a small bowl.
- Lay a sheet of filo on a work surface, brush lightly with the oil-water mixture, and spoon a thin line of the meat filling along one long edge.
- Roll the filo up loosely around the filling into a long rope, then coil it into a spiral in the centre of a greased round baking tray.
- Repeat with the remaining filo sheets and filling, coiling each rope around the last to build one large spiral, or forming individual smaller spirals.
- Brush the top generously with the remaining oil-water mixture.
- Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30–35 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges. Serve with plain yogurt on the side, if desired.
Introduction: Burek arrived in Slovenia via the wider Balkan region and has become one of the country's most popular grab-and-go street foods, sold from bakeries and kiosks at all hours, especially late at night after a night out.
Cultural Background: Burek arrived in Slovenia via the wider Balkan region and has become one of the country's most popular grab-and-go street foods, sold from bakeries and kiosks at all hours, especially late at night after a night out. Layers of thin filo pastry are coiled around a savoury filling of minced meat or cheese, baked until deeply golden and shatteringly crisp.
Tips: Keep unused filo sheets covered with a damp towel while working, as they dry out and crack quickly. Don't overfill each rope — a thin line of filling rolls and coils much more easily than a thick one.
Variations: Cheese burek, filled with a mix of skuta and feta-style cheese, is equally popular and traditional. A potato and onion filling makes a hearty vegetarian version. Vegetarian / Vegan Note Replace the meat filling with a mixture of skuta or feta-style cheese and a beaten egg for an authentic vegetarian burek.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 10 minutes to restore crispness; avoid microwaving, which makes the pastry soggy. Nutrition (Approx. per Serving) Approx. 460 kcal, 19 g protein, 26 g fat, 38 g carbohydrate per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Can I use store-bought puff pastry instead of filo?
A: Filo gives the authentic crisp, flaky layers; puff pastry will work but produces a different, richer texture.
Q: Is burek always meat-filled?
A: No — cheese, potato and spinach fillings are all common alternatives found at Slovenian bakeries.
- Filo pastry sheets — 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
- Minced pork or beef — 400 g (14 oz)
- Onion, finely chopped — 1
- Sunflower oil — 1 tbsp
- Sweet paprika — 1 tsp
- Salt and black pepper, — to taste
- Sunflower oil, for brushing — 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
- Sparkling water — 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
- Plain yogurt, to serve (optional)
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