I made my own all by myself!
Several years ago now, the first time Vanja met Elsada, Ako’s wife, she made burek for them for supper. He remembers how she came home from work, and in no time at all there was the most delicious burek he had ever eaten, Sorry, Pava! I have since been to their home twice, and this time, he asked if she could teach me how she does it. I have wanted to learn how to make the pastry for years. I asked Branka once, and she brought over the dough, and demonstrated it for me, but I didn’t learn how to make it. Today, I did! Hooray!
I am so proud of her finished product! It is beautiful, and golden, and not wet like so many seem to be.
OK. Here goes. I admit, I was afraid of failure. Not that, really, so much, as the possible inability to never succeed. Or, to not know how to succeed. The recipe will follow below. Salt, flour and water. That is it. I was uncomfortable working the dough in the bowl, and as soon as I got it onto the counter, I was in familiar territory. I could see where she was going from my bread making experience, and hers was getting there faster as she is used to working the dough in a bowl.
I am so used to taking my own blog photos, but today, I had an eager helper: Ako! He was just about as excited as I was that I was learning how to do this! Hi, Ako!
So, we had one big ball each that needed to rest for thirty minutes. Then, we divided it into two and on a sturdy piece of flour dusted paper, we rolled the dough out with a rolling pin, turning it only once until just about “œthat” big and then moistened it with the smallest amount of oil so that the top would be pliable. Each dough “œpatty” needs to rest about fifteen minutes.
Ako had run to the butcher and had him grind one kilo of hind quarter beef and we got to work mincing the onions during the resting time. Salt, pepper and mineral water were also added.
OK, now for the hard part. Stretching the dough. I had been dreading this because I had no frame of reference for doing anything similar. Elsada picked the pliable pastry up from underneath with her hands and placed it on the “œburek tablecloth” that “œall Bosnian women have” says Emina.
Then she worked from the middle of the dough underneath and just stretched the edges all around the table out, out, and out”¦.
“¦and the dough kept moving out, out, and out”¦.
Once it completely covered the table, we circled it to pull it down a bit more, and then we took one quarter of the meat and place a little around the entire circumference of the table. Elsada said her father used to remind her, “œRemember, we are making burek, not cevapi!” So, whenever my meat got a little thick around my edge, I would remember that.
She sliced the pastry down the middle and we each took a knife and cut off all of the edges. Then, folded the dough hanging over the table up and over the layer of meat. Once that was completely done, she took a spoon and sprinkled over a little melted butter and oil over each side. Then, she used the tablecloth to guide the roll toward the centre of the table, and finished rolling by hand.
We got about three portions per each “œlog”, or six per each one of the four batches. The one kilo of meat made 24 beautiful burek. The oven was heated to 500 F and they were sprinkled very lightly with the butter oil mixture again before they went in for about 10 to 15 minutes until brown. Then she brought them out and added just a little more mineral water over them all to keep them moist, and back into the oven for 5 more minutes and cover with a tea towel when they come out for at least 5 minutes before eating.
This is how much dough was left from cutting the edges off of all 4 batches. It will last a couple of days in the fridge and can be brought out and rested for 30 minutes again, like the original, and start over with it.
Aren’t they beautiful? Perfection on a plate!!!! I CAN do it! (I think!) We shall see when I get home!
Look at the flaky pastry!
And my new little friend, Emina, is first at the table with me. Actually, I was first!
And here is the family breakfast. The entire house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked burek. There is really nothing that says “œI love you” more ““ except a two carat diamond! (he-he)
Burek
We each made this much pastry, so this is the amount of pastry for 500 grams of beef, or 12 burek. I might invite a friend to visit with during the process, as it really didn’t take us long once we were ready to roll them out, and 12 doesn’t go very far with a burek-loving crowd!
Pastry Ingredients:
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1Â kilo flour (4 cups)
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2 teaspoon salt
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340Â g water (400ml)
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1/4 cup melted butter
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1 T oil
Meat Ingredients:
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500 g freshly ground beef
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1Â teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon pepper
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60 ml sparkling mineral water
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1/4 large, or 1/2 medium onion, mincedMeat Instructions:
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Mix all ingredients together
Pastry Instructions:-
Mix all ingredients together, and knead until dough is soft, but not sticky (about 5 minutes, once experienced)
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Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and rest for thirty minutes
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Divide into two portions and make each into a ball
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Preheat oven to 500 F
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Roll each ball on a flour dusted sturdy paper, turning only once, until about 1/4 inch thick
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Spread oil over the surface of each rolled pastry disc very lightly, but cover the entire surface area
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Rest for 15 minutes and prepare the meat (mince the onion and mix all ingredients together)
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Transfer one disc of pastry dough to the middle of the table covered with a “œburek” cloth; using hands gently from the middle of the pastry to stretch it an lay it out
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Then, pull the dough out little by little around the table and around again until it covers the table and then pull it to just go over the edge of the table
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Take half of the meat portion and lay it out on the edge of the table little by little until there is some meat all around the circumference of the table
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Add the oil to the melted butter and sprinkle just a little over the pastry on each portion (make a circle with the sprinkling)
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Cut the dough in half down the middle of the table; and cut off the thickened edge of the dough from the overhanging portion
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Flip the overhanging pastry from the side of the table to over the meat laid out on the table until all is covered
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Then, lift the cloth gently to force the dough to gently roll toward the centre of the table; stop it when you can easily roll the rest by hand
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Use the butter and oil to grease the baking pan; roll each end of the two ropes of dough into two burek portions and leave enough in the middle for a third
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Place all in the pan and very lightly brush with butter oil mixture
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 500 and remove from the oven
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Pour about 1/2 cup of sparkling mineral water over the golden burek and return to the oven for 5 more minutes
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Take out of the oven and cover with a tea towel for at least five minutes before serving
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Serve with yogurt to drink
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Thank you SO much, Elsada.
You really have no idea how much I truly appreciate learning this and I am just jumping out of my skin until I get home to see if I really CAN do it, but, for now, I BELIEVE I can, and that is a great start!
wow! what a process!! looks amazing!
Ya, there’s nothing quite like the fragrance and warmth of a diamond! NOT……..hehe
Oh, I am sooo excited to have this recipe. I met a dear friend that was a Bosnian refugee eleven years ago. She taught me how to make it and I had forgotten the dough recipe. My soon to be eighteen year old will be thrilled to have it for his birthday this week seeing how he has asked for it for several years. They look beautiful and my heart is touched at the thought of having something again that Jasminka taught me about her culture.
My dear Canadian friend, what a marvelous day. My son was THRILLED out of his mind and his eyes lit up once he saw what was in the oven when he came home for lunch today. They were just as yummy as we had remembered them. My son said that he needed to spread the recipe to the world because they were so good. Thank you for your post and all the pictures. I’m grinning as I write this. What a tender mercy that you would have had this post in time for his birthday. Have a Happy Halloween!!! Thank you, thank you!
I hope you post your burek! I would love to see it. I am still struggling to make my own and am still in the midst of getting the newest lesson posted about how to make them and sir pita.
🙂
WOnderful news!
Valerie
Where can I get the table cover that is needed ?
Paulette,
No where in North America that I know of. 🙂 Of course, if you know what you are looking for – what texture – you will find it, but I got mine as a gift, and the cloth is a heavy cotton.
🙂
V
Wow! What a big phyllo! I’ve never made it that big. You must be proud of yourself. Actually, we don’t strech it with our hands, we keep rolling it out with a rolling pin until it gets the size we want. Your friend’s method sounds practical!
This golden borek looks fantastic and I love the stuffing.
Zerrin…
I would love to make it your way, one day, too!
🙂
valerie
Thanks so much for this recipe. My husband said it was Great, and I agree. Boy am I happy. I have been looking for this for so long. Please tell the family thanks for the pictures and information………it’s the Best! I DID IT
Sheila,
I really find that unbelievable. Had you made it with someone before?
🙂
Valerie