Inspired by the gozleme sellers at the farmers markets in Turkey, I developed this flatbread recipe. It is stuffed with a mixture of three cheeses that mimic a feta-like white cheese called, naturally, Turkish white cheese. It’s sprinkled with a handful of chopped spinach and my favorite combination of fresh herbs: parsley, mint, and dill.
When making flatbreads that require yufka dough, you can substitute commercial yufka, country-style phyllo, or lavash bread, but the results won’t be as flaky and tender as the yufka you make from scratch. All of the above substitutes are precooked so you just need to fill and toast them.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6 to 12
Ingredients
For the yufka dough
For the filling
Preparation
Make the yufka dough
Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the water and olive oil. Using your fingers, draw the flour in from all sides, working the mixture until it’s sticky and forms into a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Transfer back to the bowl, drizzle with a little bit of oil, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
Step 2
Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into three equal pieces; you should have six equal pieces, each weighing about 2 ounces.
Step 3
Roll out each yufka ball into a very thin 8- to 9-inch round, using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Stack them on top of each other with a piece of parchment paper between them and plenty of flour or lay them out slightly overlapping on a baking sheet.
Step 4
Heat an 11- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat and cook the yufka on one side until it starts to bubble up and lightly brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. You only need to partially cook each flatbread at this stage; don’t get them too crispy or they will be dry and hard to work with. Stack them on top of each other as you cook each one so that they lightly steam and keep each other soft and pliable.
Step 5
If you are not using immediately, transfer the warm yufka to a large zip-top plastic bag and store at room temperature up to overnight. You can also freeze the yufka for up to 2 weeks. After thawing, reheat briefly in a skillet over medium heat before using.
Make the gozleme
Step 6
Heat the olive oil and onion in a sauté pan over medium-low heat and sweat the onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape into a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese, feta cheese, kasseri cheese, salt, parsley, mint, dill, and pepper to taste.
Step 7
When you are ready to assemble, put about 1⁄3 cup cheese filling on each yufka and smooth it to the edges in a very thin layer. Sprinkle evenly with 3⁄4 cup spinach and season lightly with salt. Fold the left side in towards the middle and then the right side towards the middle, overlapping by about 1⁄2 inch, to form a rectangle shape with an open top and bottom.
Step 8
When the gozleme are assembled, heat an 11- to 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Place two gozleme at a time, seam side down, in the pan. Cook until the filling is hot, the spinach is wilted, and the bread is lightly toasted on one side but still soft on the other, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook 1 minute more to heat through. Place on a tray and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining four gozleme. Cut into halves or strips and serve immediately.
Recipe notes
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