Su Böreği

Ingredients

• 500g plain flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 120ml water, approximately
• Cornflour for dusting, about 150g
• 400g white cheese (beyaz peynir) or a mix of feta and ricotta, crumbled
• Large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 150g butter, melted
• 100ml sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp salt for the boiling water
• 1 litre cold water in a large bowl for cooling
• 1 egg yolk plus 2 tbsp milk to glaze

Before you cook

• Mix the flour and salt, make a well, add the eggs and most of the water, and bring together into a firm dough.
• Knead for 12 minutes until completely smooth and quite stiff, then wrap and rest for 45 minutes.
• Crumble the cheese and mix it with the chopped parsley.
• Combine the melted butter and sunflower oil in a jug.
• Butter a 30cm round or 30x25cm rectangular baking tin.

Steps

1. Divide the rested dough into eight pieces and roll each into a ball.
2. Roll one ball out on a surface dusted heavily with cornflour, stretching it into a sheet slightly larger than your tin and thin enough to read through.
3. Roll out all eight sheets the same way, stacking them with plenty of cornflour between so they do not weld together.
4. Bring a very large pot of water to the boil with the 2 tbsp salt and set a bowl of cold water beside it.
5. Lower one sheet into the boiling water and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, until it turns translucent and floats.
6. Lift the sheet out with a skimmer and drop it straight into the cold water for a few seconds.
7. Spread the cooled sheet on a clean cloth and pat it dry.
8. Boil and cool the remaining sheets one at a time, keeping the cooked ones flat on cloths.
9. Heat the oven to 190C.
10. Lay the first boiled sheet into the buttered tin and brush it generously with the butter and oil mixture.
11. Add three more sheets the same way, brushing each one well.
12. Spread all of the cheese and parsley evenly over the fourth layer.
13. Cover with the remaining four sheets, brushing butter over each one and tucking the edges down inside the tin.
14. Brush the top with the egg yolk beaten into the milk.
15. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the börek has puffed slightly away from the sides.
16. Rest in the tin for 15 minutes, then cut into squares or wedges and serve warm with tea.