Gozleme, Crispy Stuffed Flatbreads

Gozleme is a Turkish stuffed flatbread, and it is the dinner from this week's shop that surprises people most. A four ingredient dough, spiced mince and spinach in the middle, a bit of cheese, and it goes into a dry pan until the outside is crisp and blistered. It costs almost nothing and it eats like something you would queue for at a market. Let's cook!

Why This Gozleme Works

The dough is four ingredients and no yeast. Flour, oil, water, salt. Five minutes of kneading and half an hour of resting, and that is the whole thing. Nothing to prove, nothing to go wrong.

It is a base and a lid, not a fold. Two thin discs with the filling sandwiched between them, sealed at the edge with a wet finger. It is easier than folding, the filling spreads right to the edges, and you get crisp pastry on both sides.

The filling is a raid of the freezer and the spice drawer. Frozen spinach, whatever ground spices you have, a clove of garlic. Almost none of it is bought specially, which is the whole point on a $50 shop.

A dry pan, not an oiled one. There is oil in the dough already. A dry pan on a low to medium heat blisters the outside without frying it, so it stays crisp rather than going greasy.

The leftovers might be better than the dinner. Cold gozleme is a proper lunch, and warmed through with a fried egg on top it is a very good breakfast.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Serves: 2 to 3, with leftovers
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Large non-stick pan

The filling has to be properly cool before it goes anywhere near the dough. Warm filling steams the base from the inside, and you end up with a soggy middle and a dough that tears when you try to move it. Cook it, spread it out on a plate and let it come down to room temperature while the dough is resting. The two things happen at the same time, so it costs you nothing. The other thing I do every time is assemble each gozleme on a board or a plate rather than on the bench, because a filled one is heavy and floppy and you need something to carry it to the pan on. Try to lift a big one with your hands and it will split down the middle and you will lose the lot.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 375g plain flour
• 60ml to 80ml olive oil, or vegetable oil
• 185ml lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling

• 350g mince, I used half beef and half pork
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 100g frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• A handful of grated cheese, whatever you have

To Serve

• Leftover Asian slaw, or any salad or dipping sauce you like

How to Make Gozleme

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the oil and water and knead into a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. Cover it and leave it to rest for half an hour while you make the filling.
2. Cook the filling: In a pan, soften the diced onion. Add the mince and cook until browned. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, chilli flakes and cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Add the squeezed spinach and cook everything together for a few more minutes.
3. Cool it down: Spread the filling out on a plate and leave it to come down to room temperature. Warm filling makes a soggy base.
4. Divide the dough: Cut it into 4 pieces for 2 large gozleme, or 8 pieces for 4 smaller ones. Each gozleme takes two pieces, a base and a lid.
5. Roll and fill: Roll two pieces out thinly. Lay the base on a board or a plate you can carry to the stove. Spread the cooled filling over it, leaving a clear border round the edge, and scatter over the cheese.
6. Seal it: Wet the border with a little water, lay the second disc on top and press the edges together firmly all the way round. Press the whole thing flat.
7. Cook it: In a large dry pan over a low to medium heat, cook each gozleme for about 5 minutes a side, until golden, crisp and blistered.
8. Serve hot: Cut into wedges and serve with slaw or salad on the side.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Four ingredients in the dough: Flour, oil, water, salt, and no yeast anywhere
• A freezer and cupboard dinner: The filling is mostly things you already have
• Crisp on both sides: The base and lid method gives you pastry all the way round
• Brilliant cold: Lunch the next day, or breakfast with a fried egg on top
• Endlessly adaptable: Any mince, any greens, any spices you happen to own

Chef's Tips for Gozleme

Let the filling go properly cold: This is the one that matters. Warm filling steams the dough from the inside and you lose the crisp base entirely.

Assemble on a board, not the bench: A filled gozleme is heavy and floppy. Build it on something you can carry to the pan, or it will tear as you lift it.

Leave a clear border: Keep the filling back from the edge so you have clean dough to seal. Filling in the seal means it will burst in the pan.

Wet the edge, then press hard: A little water on the border and firm pressure all the way round is what keeps it shut.

Keep the pan dry and the heat moderate: There is already oil in the dough. Too hot and the outside colours before the middle is warm.

Squeeze the spinach hard: Defrosted frozen spinach holds a shocking amount of water. Wring it out in your hands or in a tea towel.

Use the cheese you have: Mine was the last scrap of a block. Feta is more traditional, but any melting cheese works and this is not the recipe to shop for.

Substitutions & Variations

• The mince: Beef, pork, lamb or chicken, or leave it out entirely for a vegetarian one
• The greens: Frozen peas, silverbeet, kale or a bag of frozen stir fry veg all work
• The cheese: Feta is traditional, mozzarella melts best, cheddar is what most of us have
• The spices: Whatever is in the drawer. Za'atar, oregano, coriander or a Middle Eastern blend
• Vegetarian: Spinach, feta and onion on its own is the classic and it is excellent
• Make it smaller: Cut into 8 for 4 smaller gozleme, which fit a normal pan more easily

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Straight from the pan while the outside is still crisp and the cheese is melted.

Fridge: Wrap and keep for up to 3 days. Reheat in a dry pan for a couple of minutes a side to bring the crispness back.

Freezer: Freeze cooked and cooled gozleme, wrapped, for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge then reheat in a dry pan.

Avoid: The microwave. It turns the crisp outside soft and leathery, which is exactly what you made it for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is gozleme? A Turkish flatbread with a savoury filling sealed inside, cooked on a griddle or in a dry pan. You will most often see it at markets, filled with spinach and feta or spiced mince.

Do I fold it or use two pieces of dough? Two pieces here, a base and a lid, sealed round the edge with a little water. It is easier to handle than folding and the filling reaches the edges properly.

Why is my gozleme soggy in the middle? Almost always warm filling. Let it cool to room temperature before it goes on the dough. Wet spinach does it too, so squeeze it hard.

Can I make the dough ahead? Yes. It will sit covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring it back to room temperature before you roll it or it will fight you.

Can I make gozleme vegetarian? Absolutely, and spinach with feta and onion is the classic version. Leave the mince out and add a bit more greens and cheese.

What pan should I use? A large non-stick one, dry, over a low to medium heat. There is enough oil in the dough that you do not need any in the pan.

How do I stop it bursting open? Leave a clear border of dough with no filling on it, wet that border, and press the edges together firmly all the way round before you flatten it.

What do I serve with it? Slaw or a sharp salad cuts through the richness. A yoghurt and garlic dip is very good, and so is a squeeze of lemon.

You Might Also Like

3 Budget Dinners Under $50 NZD with Mince - The full episode this came from, with the shopping list and all three dinners.

Asian Rissoles with Rice and Slaw - Dinner one from the same shop, and where the rest of the slaw goes.

Gnocchi Bolognese - Dinner three, and the last of the mince.

2-Ingredient Yoghurt Flatbreads - The fastest flatbread on the site, for when even this dough is too much effort.

Parathas, Flaky Buttery Roti - Another pan-cooked bread worth having in your hands.

This is the one I would make first if you only tried one dinner from this shop. A bag of flour and a bit of oil become a dough in five minutes, the filling is whatever the freezer and the spice drawer can offer, and what comes out of the pan looks and tastes like it cost far more than it did. Make both of them even if you are only feeding two, because cold gozleme with a fried egg on it is a genuinely great breakfast.

Enjoy!

Del x

A four ingredient dough stuffed with spiced mince, spinach and cheese, sealed and cooked in a dry pan until crisp and blistered.