Pin it My neighbor Amira brought burek to a neighborhood potluck, and I watched her slice into that spiral of golden pastry with such casual confidence that I had to ask for the recipe. She laughed and said it was nothing fancy, just her grandmother's method passed down during long kitchen afternoons in Sarajevo. That first bite—the shattering phyllo giving way to warm, spiced beef and wilted spinach—felt like tasting her family's stories.
I made this for my partner's family dinner, and his mother watched me coil the phyllo with such focus that I felt nervous, but when we pulled it from the oven and she tasted it, she nodded and said, 'You're getting it right.' That nod meant more than any compliment.
Ingredients
- Ground beef (400 g, 80/20 ratio): This ratio balances flavor and moisture—too lean and your filling dries out, too fatty and it becomes greasy during baking.
- Fresh spinach (200 g, chopped): The water content wilts down beautifully, so don't panic when it looks like too much before cooking.
- Medium onion (finely chopped): Dice it small so it softens completely and distributes evenly through every bite.
- Garlic (2 cloves, minced): Fresh garlic matters here—it stays fragrant through baking without turning bitter.
- Salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (½ tsp): These proportions season the filling boldly without overpowering the delicate pastry.
- Paprika (½ tsp, optional): It adds warmth and color, a small touch that signals you know what you're doing.
- Phyllo pastry sheets (12–14 sheets, about 500 g): Room temperature sheets separate more easily than cold ones—let them sit out while you prepare everything else.
- Unsalted butter (120 g, melted) and vegetable oil (3 tbsp): The oil keeps butter from solidifying and burning; this mixture creates that golden, shattered crust.
- Plain yogurt (3 tbsp) and water (1 tbsp): This optional egg-wash alternative brushed on top encourages deeper browning and extra crispness.
Instructions
- Prepare your workspace and preheat:
- Set your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper—this prevents sticking and makes cleanup effortless. Have all ingredients measured and ready before you touch the phyllo, because once those sheets are exposed to air, they dry out fast.
- Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, chopped spinach, minced onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika, mixing with your hands until everything is evenly distributed and the spinach is broken down into small pieces. The mixture should feel moist but not wet; if there's excess liquid pooling at the bottom, drain it away.
- Combine butter and oil:
- Melt your butter gently and whisk it together with vegetable oil in a small bowl. This mixture should be warm but not hot when you start brushing—it soaks into the phyllo better than butter alone.
- Layer and brush the phyllo:
- Lay one phyllo sheet flat on a clean, dry work surface and brush it lightly with the butter-oil mixture using even, gentle strokes. Layer a second sheet on top and brush again, then add a third sheet for structure—three layers give you the right balance of crispness and structure.
- Distribute and roll the filling:
- Spread a thin, even layer of the meat-spinach filling along one long edge of your phyllo stack, leaving about an inch of bare pastry on all sides so it can seal when you roll. The layer should be maybe a quarter-inch thick—anything thicker and it won't cook through before the pastry burns.
- Create a tight roll:
- Starting from the filled edge, roll the phyllo sheet up tightly like you're making a log, tucking in the sides as you go and pressing gently to seal. This tension keeps everything from falling apart during coiling and baking.
- Form the spiral:
- Take your filled roll and gently coil it on the prepared baking tray in a tight spiral, like a snail shell, tucking the end underneath to secure it. You can make one large spiral or several smaller ones depending on your tray size and preference.
- Repeat until done:
- Keep layering, filling, rolling, and coiling until you've used all your phyllo sheets and filling—each spiral should sit on the same tray with a little breathing room between them.
- Brush generously:
- Coat the tops of your spirals with the remaining butter-oil mixture using a pastry brush, making sure every visible surface gets covered—this is what creates that golden, shattering exterior.
- Add the optional yogurt wash:
- If you want extra color and crispness, whisk plain yogurt with a tablespoon of water until smooth and brush that over the pastry instead of or in addition to the final butter coat. This acts like an egg wash.
- Bake until golden:
- Slide the tray into your preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, watching around the 30-minute mark so you can rotate the tray if one side is browning faster than the other. The pastry is done when it's a deep golden-brown and sounds crispy when you tap it gently.
- Rest and serve:
- Let your burek cool for about 10 minutes on the tray—this lets it firm up and makes slicing cleaner. Serve it warm with cool yogurt on the side for contrast.
Pin it What strikes me most about burek is how it turned into something I made regularly, not just when I wanted to impress someone. It became the dish I'd assemble on a quiet Sunday afternoon, the smell filling my apartment for hours, a small ritual of care that I didn't need a special occasion to justify.
The Phyllo Patience Game
The first time I rushed with phyllo, peeling sheets apart while they were cold and stacked, I tore half of them and ended up with a lumpy, broken pastry situation. Now I let the package sit at room temperature for a few minutes before opening, and each sheet separates like tissue paper. The difference between impatience and a perfect pastry layer is literally just five minutes of waiting.
Customizing Your Filling
Burek is flexible in ways that feel almost forgiving, which is part of its charm. You can swap ground beef for lamb if you want something richer, or skip the meat entirely and crumble feta cheese through the spinach for a vegetarian version that tastes nothing like a compromise. I've also added a pinch of cinnamon to the filling once—just a whisper of it—and that small addition transformed it into something I'd never quite tasted before.
Serving and Storage
Burek is at its absolute best when it's still warm, the pastry still holding that shatter-and-yield quality, which is why I always serve it within an hour of pulling it from the oven. It's also one of those dishes that tastes good the next day if you store it properly, making it excellent for meal prep or feeding a crowd when you want to do most of the work ahead of time.
- Serve each slice with a spoonful of cool yogurt or a simple cucumber salad to cut through the richness.
- Leftover burek keeps for three days in an airtight container and reheats beautifully in a warm oven for about 10 minutes.
- You can assemble burek up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate it unbaked, then brush with fresh butter-oil mixture right before baking.
Pin it Burek taught me that good food doesn't require complicated techniques or exotic ingredients—it requires respect for simple things and the patience to layer them carefully. Make this once and you'll understand why it's been around for centuries.
Recipe FAQs
- → What type of meat is best for this filling?
Ground beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio is ideal to keep the filling juicy without being too greasy.
- → Can I substitute spinach with another green?
Yes, fresh chard or kale can be used, but be sure to chop finely and squeeze out excess moisture to avoid soggy layers.
- → How do I keep the phyllo pastry from drying out during assembly?
Cover unused sheets with a damp towel to maintain moisture and prevent tearing while working.
- → Is it necessary to brush the pastry with butter and oil?
Brushing each layer with butter and oil helps create a golden, crisp texture and prevents the pastry from drying out.
- → What is the best way to bake it evenly?
Bake on the middle rack at 190°C (375°F) until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the tray halfway if needed for even coloring.
- → Can this dish be made vegetarian?
Omit the meat and add crumbled feta or a mixture of sautéed mushrooms and cheese for a flavorful vegetarian option.