Name: Bosnian Meat Burek
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Central Eastern European
Ingredients: 250 g Phyllo Pastry, thawed if frozen; 300 g Ground Beef, not too lean; ¾ cup Onion, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic, minced; 3 tbsp Neutral Oil, divided, for filling and brushing; 1 tsp Paprika, sweet paprika; ¾ tsp Salt, for seasoning; ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly ground if available

1 hr 10 mintotal

1 hr 5 min hands-on5 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Ingredients

250 gPhyllo Pastrythawed if frozen
300 gGround Beefnot too lean
¾ cupOnionfinely chopped
2 cloveGarlicminced
3 tbspNeutral Oildivided, for filling and brushing
1 tspPaprikasweet paprika
¾ tspSaltfor seasoning
½ tspGround Black Pepperfreshly ground if available

Quantities are for 4 servings.

You'll need: Oven, Stovetop.

Allow 5 minutes of inactive resting after baking so the burek coils hold together when sliced.

Method

Heat part of the measured oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft.
Add garlic and ground beef, then cook until the meat changes colour and most moisture evaporates.
Season with paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cool the filling slightly.
Lay out a phyllo sheet, brush lightly with oil, add a thin line of meat filling, and roll into a long tube.
Coil the rolled pastry into a round baking dish, then repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling.
Brush the top with the remaining oil.
Bake at 190°C until the pastry is crisp, golden, and cooked through.
Rest for 5 minutes before slicing so the coils hold together.
5 min

How to tell it's done

The burek should be crisp and flaky outside, with a savoury, moist but not greasy meat filling.

Getting it right

Tip

Cool the meat filling before rolling; hot filling can soften phyllo and make the pastry tear.

What to serve it with

Serve warm with plain yogurt, cucumber salad, or pickled vegetables.

Common mistakes

The burek tears while rolling or bakes soggy.: Cool the meat filling before it touches the phyllo and use thin filling lines. Hot or wet filling softens the pastry before it can crisp.

Substitutions

Ground Lamb can replace part of the beef for a richer Balkan-style filling.
Keep phyllo covered while assembling so it does not dry out and crack.
Do not overfill the pastry; thin filling lines roll more cleanly and bake more evenly.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerate cooled burek for up to 3 days. Reheat uncovered in a moderate oven until hot and crisp; freeze baked portions for up to 2 months, then reheat from thawed for best texture.

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