Show the Working

Boyoz

The oiled dough rests overnight before it is stretched, which is the only thing that lets it go thin enough.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg.

Ingredients

Method

  1. THE OILED DOUGH RESTS OVERNIGHT BEFORE IT IS STRETCHED, and that rest is the only thing that lets it go thin enough. The dough is kneaded, divided, rolled in oil and then left submerged in oil in the fridge for twelve hours. Two things happen: the gluten relaxes completely, so the dough stops springing back and can be pulled rather than rolled; and the oil works into the surface, so when the piece is finally stretched out the layers cannot fuse. After that rest a ball the size of an egg can be drawn out to a translucent sheet the size of a tea towel with bare hands. Stretched the same day, the same dough tears at about a third of that.
  2. IT IS STRETCHED AND NOT ROLLED, AND ON AN OILED SURFACE. The piece is flattened and then pulled outward from underneath with the backs of the hands, working round it, on a surface wiped with oil rather than floured. Flour would absorb into the dough and stop the layers separating; the pin would push the oil out and compress it.
  3. THE TAHINI IS SMEARED ON THE STRETCHED SHEET AND THEN IT IS COILED. A thin smear over the whole translucent sheet, then the sheet gathered loosely into a rope and the rope wound into a tight snail. Dozens of oiled, tahini-separated layers in a small coil, which is what makes a boyoz shatter rather than tear. The Cypriot tahinopita coils a ROLLED dough and gets a handful of layers; stretching gets dozens.
  4. THE COIL IS PRESSED FLAT AND RESTED AGAIN BEFORE BAKING. Squashed to about a centimetre and a half and left twenty minutes. Baked straight after coiling it springs back into a dome and the layers compress in the middle.
  5. IT IS BAKED UNTIL GENUINELY DARK. 200°C for thirty to thirty-five minutes, to a deep brown rather than gold. A pale boyoz is soft and slightly greasy; properly baked the oil has done its work and the thing is dry and brittle.
  6. The flour and salt mixed with the warm water to a firm dough and kneaded 12 MINUTES until very smooth.
  7. Divided into 12 pieces and each rolled into a ball.
  8. The balls put in a deep dish and COVERED COMPLETELY with the sunflower oil.
  9. Refrigerated OVERNIGHT, at least 12 HOURS.
  10. A work surface wiped with OIL -- no flour anywhere.
  11. One ball flattened and then STRETCHED outward with the BACKS OF THE HANDS, working round it, until it is a TRANSLUCENT sheet the size of a tea towel.
  12. A thin smear of tahini spread over the whole sheet.
  13. The sheet gathered LOOSELY into a rope, then the rope wound into a tight SNAIL coil.
  14. PRESSED FLAT to about 1.5 cm and set on a lined tray.
  15. All twelve made, then RESTED 20 MINUTES.
  16. Brushed with beaten egg.
  17. Baked at 200°C for 30 to 35 MINUTES, to a DEEP BROWN -- not gold.
  18. TESTED: it should shatter under a thumb rather than tear. Cooled on a rack and eaten the same day.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Turkey · All recipes