Gözleme is a traditional Turkish dish that originates from the Anatolian region of Turkey. It is believed to have been around since the Ottoman Empire. It is made from thin layers of unleavened dough filled with various savory combinations of ingredients such as cheese, spinach, potatoes, minced meat and mushrooms. The dough is then rolled out, filled, folded and cooked over a flat griddle. Gözleme is a popular street food in Turkey and is typically served with ayran, a cold yoghurt drink. It is also served as an appetizer or as part of a main course.
INGREDIENTS
Gozleme dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour (more to use when rolling out)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup warm water (1-2 tablespoons more might be needed)
- Cheese Filling:
4 cup baby spinach leaves or chopped spinach or parsley
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil (more to brush cooked gozlemes)
- Spiced Potato Filling
3 (2 cups) potatoes | peeled, boiled, and mashed
200 grams (7 oz) Greek feta | crumbled
2 shallots (scallions/green onions) | finely sliced
30 grams (¬Ω cup) parsley | finely chopped
teaspoon smoked paprika
teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to season
- Spiced Beef (or lamb) Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion | finely diced
350 grams (¾ lb) minced/ground beef | You can substitute lamb
2 garlic cloves | minced
1½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
30 grams (½ cup) mint | finely chopped
30 grams (½ cup) parsley | finely chopped
100 grams (4 oz) Greek feta | crumbled
salt and pepper to season
- Sweet Gözleme
- You can either add sugar
- Or chocolate, Nutella
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl.
Pour warm water over it and mix with your hand or in a stand mixer until everything holds together. This might take 5-10 minutes.
Wet the bottom of the bowl and the surface of the dough with your wet hand. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Let it rest for 40 min. until it doubles in size.
Dust the counter with a little flour and transfer the dough onto this surface. Deflate the dough, knead it for 1-2 minutes and make a log. Cut it into 6 pieces, shape each into balls. Cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying.
To make the filling, combine everything in the list in a bowl.
Grab a dough ball, sprinkle flour all over it. Roll it out thin. Sprinkle little flour as needed when you feel it gets sticky when rolling out. Try to give it a circular shape, but it doesn’t have to look perfect.
Put about 3 tablespoons of filling on the half of the rolled out dough. Fold the empty half on the filling and seal the edge by firmly pressing on it with your finger tips.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Transfer the gozleme into hot pan. Cook both sides for 3-4 minutes each.
Put a paper kitchen towel on a large plate and transfer the cooked gozleme on it. Brush it with olive oil and cover with a clean kitchen towel so that the cooked gozlemes keep warm until you finish the remaining dough and filling.
Repeat the same steps for the remaining dough and filling.
Optionally cut each in triangles and serve immediately.
