sac böreği : Turkish Flat Bread with Spinach and Feta cheese with an Indian Touch

I am always amused by the similarities and uniqueness of world cuisines. While growing up I thought only dosa , idly and chapathi’s are real food, nothing else are there you can consume as tasty , nutritious dish. Once I got married, I got a same food enthusiastic hubby who is as adventurous as me to try new cuisine. That opened up my culinary explorations in my small kitchen. 

Last week I took a book from library, Savory Baking from the Mediterranean by Anissa Helou. First when I took a look at the book; I was not impressed as it doesn’t contain any breathtaking color photographs. Then I thought if I only read only would I know what is in there. I have habit of reading the last chapters in any book, even I love to see climax of the movie first. However, my ardent movie loving hubby will say I will foil his interest of watching the movie and kills the curiosity. How can I change my habit, it is in my gene. So nowadays I watch the climax before he is home from work or even read reviews earlier. In a cook book how can you read the last chapters, you have to read everything. When I started reading the book later in the day I found some recipes that are quiet interesting, and I wanted to try them. At first my primary taste tester, was hesitant to try the recipes from that book, he told me if you not seen the photos of the dish, how do you know how it look like. I started searching with my Google friend; the pictures of sac böreği came up. So I decided to try. 

It is flat bread stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. These breads commonly called boreks are Anatolian specialty. One thing that strikes me is that in Turkish cuisine also certain dishes are popular in one part of the country but is unknown in the rest of the country. That is similar to Indian cuisine, every state has its own special cuisine different from other states. 

Sac böreği is similar to palak paratha, where palak or spinach is cooked and stuffed inside the whole wheat flour. I had some feta cheese in my hand, after making warm potato salad. To make Sac böreği sauteed spinach and cheese is filled in uncooked dough and then cooked in hot convex girdle. I used a nonstick-skillet along with frozen spinach that I had in hand. If you have fresh spinach, try using that. I used whole wheat flour along with some barely flour to make it a healthier version. I also added some gram masala, cumin, and chili powder, which are not in the original recipe. May be it is my Indian roots that is tempting me to add all these, when I ever make anything related to paratha. I read that this dish is usually served as breakfast along with honey. However I felt that we need some spicy curry to go with it. This may be because of our spicy gene again! 

This dish delicious, healthy, and filling and you can have any time a day. Here goes the recipe.

What you need

Recipe adapted from Savory Baking from the Mediterranean by Anissa Helou.

Whole wheat flour: 2 cup
Barely flour: ½ cup
Spinach: 2 ½ cup (I used frozen)
Cumin: ½ teaspoon
Gram masala: ¼ teaspoon
Chili powder: ½ teaspoon
Spring onion: 3 nos ( I used both white and green parts about ¼ cup)
Garlic clove: 1no
Feta cheese: ½ cup
Onion: ½ cup (I used red onion)
Water: 1 cup + 2 tablespoon
Salt: 1 ¼ teaspoon
Oil : 2 tablespoon
Chopped Parsley: 1 tablespoon






How I made

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment add wheat flour, barely flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and oil and mix until everything combines well. To this add gradually add water to form a firm dough. Change to dough hook and knead the dough for another 5 minutes until you get soft dough similar to chapathi dough. 

Form the dough into a ball and coat with 1/2 tablespoons oil in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough stand at warm room for 30 minutes.

In the mean time, heat oil in skillet and add cumin seeds and chopped onion and sauté until onion become translucent to this add garlic clove, chopped spinach and salt. Cook for another 6 minutes. 

To the spinach mixture add gram masala and chili powder and cook for another 1 minutes so the spices get combined to spinach mixture. Switch off the flame and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix feta cheese and chopped parsley and set aside.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and, keeping remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap. Roll out each piece into a round approximately 6 inches in diameter. Spread one tablespoon of spinach mixture on half the dough, to this sprinkle 1 teaspoon of feta cheese parsley mixture. Cover with other half. So that stuffing will be inside. Seal the edges with fingers. 

Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot, and then cook flatbread, turning once, until puffed and browned in spots, 45 seconds on each side. Transfer to a plate .Roll out and cook 12more flatbread, stacking them on plate. 

Enjoy warm with any spicy curry.

Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 12no
Verdict: Good
Will you make it again: Yes I will

I am sending this delicious  sac böreği  to

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