Flaky Spinach Byrek/Börek

Flaky Spinach Byrek/Spinach Tray Byrek

          Spinach Tray/Layered Pastry (Ispanaklı Tepsi Böreği)

        Spinach Byrek is unquestionably is nationwide favorite in Turkey. It is made for or served for so many daily activity of Turkush people, such as; in the afternoon for tea parties, in the morning for breakfast; or you may serve it for lunch or dinner with yogurt (for our: homemade-yogurt-recipe-) or coke, but in Turkey 95% of the time with TEA. However, Spinach Byrek can be made in different styles and shapes such as bundle, rolls or spiral, but the most common versiyon is Tray/Layered (Tepsi Böreği) Byrek.

        As i mentioned before (in Spinach Arm Byrek/Börek, our recipe is: ) Byrek/Börek is a very common term for all pastries use Turkish phllyo dough (we called it yufka). Depending on the filling, the shape and sometimes region change byrek's descriptive name; such as "Spinach Byrek", "Byrek with Ground Meat", "Water/Boiled Byrek: Su Böreği". 

         Now, in this post; we are going to share our "Flaky Spinach Byrek or Spinach Tray/Layered pastry".

        (Also you may visit our spinach-with-rice male recipe, and our green-cake-recipe- and spinach-arm-byrek recipe)

        Here it is our Flaky Spinach Byrek/Spinach Tray Pastry:

        Serves: 6 - 8 People,  Preparation: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 30-35 minutes, 100% Vegan,

        Ingredients:

        - 20 Sheets Phyllo Pastry (Turkish Yufka: Yufka is thicker than the phyllo, Forexample 4 yufka = nearly 20 sheets of phyllo),
        - 500 gr Spinach Leaves, fresh or frozen,

        - (1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled - it is optional - we didn't use cheese in this spinach byrek, because we prefer to only spinach&spicies filling byrek),

        - 1 Tablespoon Butter,

        - 1/3 Cup Olive Oil, (We prefer to olive oil, it is optional, if you want you can use others)

        - 1/2 Cup Yogurt, 
        - 1 or 1/2 Cup Milk,
        - 1 - 2 Eggs,
        - 1/2 Tablespoon Salt to taste,
        - 1/2 Tablespoon Red hot Flakes Pepper to taste,
        - 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper to taste,

        On Top:

        - 1 Tablespoon Nigella Seeds or Toasted Sesame Seeds, (it is optional - we didn't use Nigella seeds and Sesame Seeds in this byrek) 

        Preparation:

        First of all, remove the stalks of the spinach, wash and chop finely. Then, put fresh and chopped spinach in a bowl, sprinkle alittle bit salt and rub spinach leaves with your hands and fingers until it wilted (if you are using frozen spinach, first of all, let it thraw and squeeze to drain excessive water. Sprinkle a little bit salt and rub spinach leaves with your hands. Drain excessive water one more time again). Then drain excessive water. Then add red hot Flakes pepper, Ground Black Pepper (if you use feta cheese, add feta cheese) to spinach and mix them very well. Then, take another bowl and beat the eggs and add milk, yogurt and olive oil. Then mix them well. Now, grease the oven tray/pan. Then, layer half of the phyllo dough sheets in the oven pan by brushing every single layer with the egg, milk, yogurt and olive oil mixture. When you come to tenth phyllo dough sheet sprinkle spinach, red hot Flakes pepper and Ground Black Pepper mixture. Then cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle on spinach mixture. You should keep layering the rest of the phyllo dough sheets by brushing each layer with the mixture of the egg, milk, yogurt and olive oil mixture. After putting down the last phyllo dough sheet, pour rest of the all the egg, milk, yogurt and olive oil mixture on top. (If you want, you can sprinkle the nigella seeds or sesame seeds, we didn't use them in this byrek). Then, bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes until you get golden brown color. Wait for 10-15 minutes and then you may serve it with tea. 

        E N J O Y

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