Name: Gözleme (Turkish Spinach and Feta Flatbread)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, for the dough; 6 tbsp Water, warm, as needed; ¾ tsp Salt, divided; 2 tbsp Olive Oil, divided; 2 cup Spinach, finely chopped; ½ Onion, finely chopped; ½ cup Feta Cheese, crumbled; 2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper, for the filling; ¼ tsp Paprika, optional warmth

Gözleme (Turkish Spinach and Feta Flatbread)

1 hr 5 mintotal

45 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 25 min · Cook 20 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

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Method

Mix flour, part of the salt, warm water, and a little olive oil into a smooth, soft dough.
Cover the dough and let it rest so it becomes easy to roll thin.
Mix spinach, onion, feta cheese, parsley, black pepper, paprika, and remaining salt lightly in a bowl.
Divide the dough into two balls and roll each one thin. Place filling on one half of each round.
Fold the dough over the filling and seal the edges gently, pressing out extra air.
Cook on a hot tawa or skillet with a little olive oil until both sides are golden with light brown spots.
Slice and serve hot while the cheese is still soft.

How to tell it's done

The gözleme should be thin, golden, lightly crisp outside, and soft with a warm spinach-cheese filling inside.

Getting it right

Tip

Keep the filling dry enough before sealing, or the flatbread can tear while cooking.

What to serve it with

Serve with yogurt, olives, cucumber, or a simple tomato salad.

Common mistakes

The gözleme splits and the filling leaks into the pan.: Press the air out as you seal, and do not overfill. Trapped steam has nowhere to go and will burst the seam; a thin, well-sealed parcel cooks flat and stays shut.
The filling is watery.: Use the spinach raw and chopped, not wilted, and do not salt the filling until just before it goes on the dough. Salted spinach standing in a bowl floods the parcel.

Substitutions

Paneer can replace feta in a pinch, but feta gives the closer salty Turkish-style filling.
Fresh coriander can replace parsley, though the flavor will be less traditional.
Use baby spinach or regular spinach; squeeze out excess moisture if the filling becomes watery.

Storing and reheating

Best hot from the pan. They keep a day in the fridge and reheat well on a dry tawa. Uncooked filled gözleme freeze for a month between sheets of paper and cook from frozen over lower heat.

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Ingredients