Gözleme is made from a non-yeasted dough called yufka, which is pliable and easy to work into a thin round. At Middle Eastern-inspired bakery Sofra in Cambridge, Massachusetts, co-owners Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick serve multiple versions of gözleme, one with seasonal farm vegetables, sometimes one with red lentils or sausage, and always one with that traditional spinach-cheese mixture. Get the lowdown on 5 types of Eastern Mediterranean Flatbreads, here!
Spinach and Three Cheese Gözleme
Makes 6 large flatbreads
Ingredients
- Yufka Dough (recipe follows)
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped Spanish onion
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese, preferably sheep’s or goat’s milk
- 1 cup grated kasseri cheese
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh spearmint leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4½ cups spinach, cut into thin ribbons
Instructions
- Follow the directions to make the yufka dough, transfer to a zip-top plastic bag, and store at room temperature.
- Heat the olive oil and onion in a sauté pan over medium-low heat and sweat the onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape into a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese, feta cheese, kasseri cheese, salt, parsley, mint, dill, and pepper to taste.
- When you are ready to assemble, put about ⅓ cup cheese filling on each yufka and smooth it to the edges in a very thin layer. Sprinkle evenly with ¾ cup spinach and season lightly with salt. Fold the left side in towards the middle and then the right side towards the middle, overlapping by about ½ inch, to form a rectangle shape with an open top and bottom.
- When the gözleme are assembled, heat an 11- to 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Place two gözleme at a time, seam side down, in the pan. Cook until the filling is hot, the spinach is wilted, and the bread is lightly toasted on one side but still soft on the other, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook 1 minute more to heat through. Place on a tray and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining four gözleme. Cut into halves or strips and serve immediately.
Yufka Dough
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (233 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
- ⅔ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more as needed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the water and olive oil. Using your fingers, draw the flour in from all sides, working the mixture until it’s sticky and forms into a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Transfer back to the bowl, drizzle with a little bit of oil, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into three equal pieces; you should have six equal pieces, each weighing about 2 ounces.
- Roll out each yufka ball into a very thin 8- to 9-inch round, using plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Stack them on top of each other with a piece of parchment paper between them and plenty of flour or lay them out slightly overlapping on a baking sheet.
- Heat an 11- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat and cook the yufka on one side until it starts to bubble up and lightly brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. You only need to partially cook each flatbread at this stage; don’t get them too crispy or they will be dry and hard to work with. Stack them on top of each other as you cook each one so that they lightly steam and keep each other soft and pliable.
- If you are not using immediately, transfer the warm yufka to a large zip-top plastic bag and store at room temperature up to overnight. You can also freeze the yufka for up to 2 weeks. After thawing, reheat briefly in a skillet over medium heat before using.
Recipe excerpted from the Sofra Bakery cookbook, Soframiz: Vibrant Middle Eastern Recipes from Sofra Bakery & Cafe (Ten Speed Press).
