Gozleme Recipe (Turkish Stuffed Flatbread) (2024)

Published: Nov 16, 2020 · Modified: Mar 11, 2021 by Shadi HasanzadeNemati · This post may contain affiliate links .

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This is an easy gozleme recipe using two different fillings. Try this traditional, easy to make Turkish flatbread that's packed with so much flavor!

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We love Turkish food in general but breakfast items have a special place in our hearts. You can find Turkish breakfast recipes such as simit, pide, menemen (eggs and tomatoes) and cilbir (Turkish eggs and yogurt) on the blog. Today I want to show you one of my favorite Turkish classics: gozleme. It's a stuffed flatbread that's made with the easiest dough (only three ingredients, no yeast!) and very delicious fillings!

Table Of Contents:

What is gozleme?
Filling variations
Why this recipe works
Ingredients
Instructions
Frequently asked questions
Serving suggestions
Gozleme vs borek
Notes and tips
More Turkish recipes
Step-by-Step Recipe

What is gozleme?

It's a traditional Turkish flatbread that's stuffed with different fillings, the most popular being spinach and potatoes. The dough used to make this Turkish flatbread is usually made without any leavening agents and is thinly rolled out using a thin rolling pin called oklava, then filled with different fillings, folded, sealed and cooked in a pan.

This stuffed flatbread is usually made on a traditional large pan called sac and like kumpir, is a well known street food. The sac is very large and almost flat. Turkish cooks grease sac pretty well before cooking gozleme. If sac isn't available, it's possible to make this recipe in a nonstick pan without any oil and then brush butter or olive oil on the pastry when it's fully cooked.

Authentic Turkish gozleme used to be made and served mostly in villages and rural areas in Turkey, but in the last few decades it has become commonplace in Istanbul and other Turkish cities. You can find this classic Turkish flatbread in many cafes or restaurants. I love getting mine at a weekly farmers markets in Istanbul, made by Turkish grandmas and aunties!

Filling variations

You can find this Turkish flatbread with many different fillings. Some of the most known fillings are:

Peynirli:Peynir is Turkish for cheese. You can use different types of cheese such as kasar or feta.
Patatesli:One of my favorites, this one is made with a delicious spiced potato filling. We're talking carbs on carbs, so good!
Ispanakli:Made with fresh spinach, feta and other greens, this is one of the most popular varieties of this recipe.
Kiymali:The three fillings above are all vegetarian. However, if you're looking for yours to be even heartier, try kiymali gozleme. It's made with a mixture of onion and ground beef with mild spices, it's similar to arayes, a Lebanese street food made with spiced ground beef mixture and pita.

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Why this recipe works

Easy dough: Even a novice cook can make this recipe easily. The dough calls for only 3 ingredients and is pretty forgiving. You can easily patch up tears and your rolled out dough doesn't need to be a perfect circle.
Different fillings: From spinach and cheese to potatoes, there is something for everyone to love!
Perfect breakfast: This dish is so good for breakfast or brunch. It's simple, easy and keeps well in the fridge.

This recipe doesn't require you to have any special culinary skills. It's a very homey dish and it's pretty much all hands-on. You can make it with your family and friends over the weekend and have everyone choose their favorite fillings to enjoy in the coming days.

Ingredients

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Like many other Mediterranean recipes, this one is also made with simple and fresh ingredients. To make the dough, you need flour, oil and water.

As for the spinach filling, you need a few ingredients such as onion, spinach, herbs (parsley, green onions and dill) and feta. The potato filling is also very simple, calling for boiled potatoes, onion and tomato paste.

Instructions

Making gozleme involves three steps: preparing the dough, making the filling, and assembling it all together. Be sure to watch our video for step by step instructions.

Prepare the dough

Place flour, a pinch of salt, water and oil in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and knead until it comes together and forms a ball of dough.
Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to roll out.
As the dough is resting, make the fillings.

Make the fillings - choose your favorite!

Spinach and feta

Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onion until translucent.
Add spinach, dill and parsley. Cook until the spinach is wilted.
Stir in feta cheese, season with salt and pepper if desired.

Potato

Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them in half.Boil the potatoes in water with some salt until fork tender.
Heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté onion until translucent.Add in the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
Mash the potatoes and add them to the onion. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

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Roll out, stuff and cook

Once the dough has rested and the fillings are prepared, it's time to assemble and cook. Divide the dough into 8 balls.
Roll out one of the balls pretty thinly into a semi-circle shape. Spread the filling on half of the dough, then fold the other half on the filling and seal the edges.Try to make sure there aren't many air bubbles in the pastry.The fewer air bubbles in your gozleme, the crispier it is going to be.
Heat some oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, transfer the flatbread into the pan and let it cook for about 2-4 minutes, once it's golden and crispy, flip and cook the other side.
Transfer onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I bake these?

As noted above, this traditional gozleme recipe is made on the stove top in a pan called sac. You can also bake it following these instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Assemble the flatbread and place them on the baking sheet.Once the oven is hot, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
Flip and bake for another 8 minutes or until the pastry is completely cooked and crispy.

Can I use crumbled feta to make the spinach filling?

It's always best to buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself. Pre-crumbled feta tends to be dry.

How large should these Turkish flatbreads be?

Traditionally speaking, gozleme can be pretty large, especially if it's made by rural women (who, by the way, are masters of Turkish cooking and have often been making the same recipe for decades). When making it at home, this flatbread should be as small as the pan you're going to fry them in because you don't want the edges to hang.

Serving suggestions

Gozleme is a breakfast item that can also be served as a filling snack through the day with a cup of freshly brewed tea. Being a full treat on its own, it can also be served with a simple side of sliced cucumber and tomatoes drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil.

You can slice it into pieces to grab or roll it into a wrap. You can also serve this classic Turkish flatbread with pickles such as spicy peppers or cabbage. However you serve this stuffed Turkish flatbread, you're going to love it!

Gozleme vs borek

If you have traveled in Turkey, especially Istanbul, you probably have seen borek shops on almost every corner. Borek is another popular Turkish food (more on that later) and it's different from gozleme. Borek is made from layers of yufka dough whereas a single layer of a different type of dough is used for this flatbread.

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Notes and tips

Gozleme is not supposed to be completely crispy so if yours softens a bit after sitting out for a while, it's completely okay.
You can make this recipe using only one filling or two fillings.
To save time, make the fillings in advance and simply make the dough and assemble when you're ready.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in a pan or in the microwave.

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More Turkish recipes

Turkish Delight Recipe (Lokum)
Creamy Cucumber Salad With Yogurt
Mahalabia - Middle Eastern Milk Pudding
Baklava Recipe

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Step-by-Step Recipe