Traditional Turkish Su Böreği (Water Borek)

Description: Traditional Turkish cheese pastry made with homemade egg dough, eight briefly boiled and drained middle sheets, two unboiled outer sheets, melted butter, and a white cheese-and-parsley filling.

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Prep Time 2

Cook Time 55

Total Time 3 10

Servings 12 servings

Calories 378 kcal

Ingredients

500 g All-purpose flour 10–12% protein
5 large Eggs approximately 250 g without shells
80 ml Room-temperature water
10 g Fine salt for dough
40 g Additional rolling flour as needed
400 g Drained Turkish white cheese
30 g Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
180 g Unsalted butter melted
4 liters Boiling water
15 g Salt for boiling water
4 liters Cold water plus more for refreshing

Instructions

Make the dough. Combine 500 g flour, 10 g salt, five eggs, and 80 ml water. Knead for 10–12 minutes until firm, cohesive, and smooth. Make small water adjustments only if necessary.
Rest and divide. Cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes. Divide into ten equal balls, approximately 84 g each, and rest for another 10 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Mix 400 g drained, crumbled Turkish white cheese with 30 g finely chopped, dried parsley. Keep the filling free of excess liquid.
Prepare the butter. Melt 180 g butter and divide it into 15 g for the tray, 10 g for the bottom sheet, eight 15 g portions for the middle sheets, and 35 g for the top sheet.
Set up the water stations. Grease a 30 × 40 cm metal tray with 15 g butter. Bring 4 liters water and 15 g salt to a boil. Prepare a separate basin with approximately 4 liters cold water.
Prepare the bottom sheet. Roll one dough ball to approximately 1 mm thickness or slightly less, large enough to line the tray with a small overhang. Place it in the tray without boiling and brush with 10 g melted butter.
Roll the middle sheets. Roll the next eight dough balls into thin sheets approximately matching the tray size. Keep them covered and separate until needed.
Boil and cool. Boil each middle sheet individually for approximately 30–45 seconds until opaque and flexible. Transfer to cold water for 10–15 seconds, drain thoroughly, and blot gently.
Layer the first half. Arrange four boiled and drained sheets in loose folds over the bottom sheet. Brush each with 15 g butter.
Add filling. Distribute all the cheese-and-parsley mixture evenly over the fourth boiled sheet.
Complete the middle layers. Boil, cool, drain, and arrange the remaining four middle sheets. Brush each with 15 g butter. All eight boiled sheets now contain 120 g butter in total.
Add the top sheet. Fold the bottom overhang inward. Roll the tenth dough ball thinly, place it over the pastry without boiling, and tuck in the edges. Brush the top with the remaining 35 g butter.
Bake. Bake at 190°C (375°F) conventional heat for approximately 45–55 minutes, or begin at approximately 170°C (340°F) for a fan-assisted oven. The top and bottom should be golden and fully cooked.
Rest and serve. Rest for 15 minutes, cut into 12 portions, and serve warm.

Notes

Traditional methods vary; this recipe uses two unboiled outer sheets and eight boiled middle sheets.
Replace 400 g Turkish white cheese with 300 g drained feta and 100 g firm, drained ricotta if necessary.
Packaged phyllo is not a direct substitute for the homemade boiled sheets.
Drain the boiled sheets thoroughly to prevent excess moisture.
The specific quantities and timing constitute an untested home-kitchen formulation; use texture and visual cues to guide adjustments.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly, consume within 3–4 days, or freeze fully baked portions for best quality within approximately 2 months.

Nutrition: Not calculated. No unsupported per-serving nutritional estimates are included.