Puf Böreği

Deep-fried rather than baked, and it puffs hollow — which only happens if the oil is hot enough to set the outside instantly.

Beef, Egg. Not vegetarian — contains beef.

Ingredients

the dough

• 400 g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 150 ml warm water
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 8 g salt

the filling

• 300 g minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• a handful of dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

to fry

• 1 litre sunflower oil

Method

1. IT IS DEEP-FRIED RATHER THAN BAKED, AND IT PUFFS HOLLOW. That hollow is the point and the test: a properly fried puf böreği balloons within seconds and, broken open, has an air pocket between the filling and the top crust. It happens because oil at 180°C sets the outside of the dough instantly, trapping the steam the filling gives off, which then has nowhere to go but up. Below about 165°C the dough sets slowly, the steam escapes through it, and what comes out is a flat greasy turnover -- cooked, edible and not this.
2. THE VINEGAR IN THE DOUGH IS WHAT KEEPS IT FROM GOING TOUGH. A teaspoon. It relaxes the gluten so the dough can be rolled very thin and still stretch rather than resist when the steam pushes against it. Without it the dough fights the puff.
3. THE EDGES ARE SEALED WITH A FORK AND MUST BE AIRTIGHT. Pressed with the fingers first, then crimped all round with a fork. A single gap anywhere lets the steam out and that one will not puff while its neighbours do -- which is a useful diagnosis: one flat böreği in a batch is a bad seal, all of them flat is cold oil.
4. THE FILLING GOES IN RAW AND IS NOT WET. Raw mince, raw onion, herbs. It cooks in the two or three minutes of frying, and the water it gives off is exactly the steam that does the lifting -- so a pre-cooked, drained filling removes the thing that makes it puff.
5. THEY GO IN ONE OR TWO AT A TIME. Each one drops the oil temperature, and a crowded pan falls below the threshold and none of them puff. Two at most, and the oil allowed back up to temperature between.
6. The flour and salt mixed with the egg, water, oil and vinegar to a soft dough.
7. Kneaded 10 MINUTES until very smooth, then rested, covered, 30 MINUTES.
8. The mince, onion, parsley, dill, salt and pepper mixed RAW.
9. The dough divided into 12 and each rolled THIN, about 14 cm across.
10. A spoonful of filling on one half, the other half folded over.
11. The edge pressed with the fingers, then CRIMPED ALL ROUND WITH A FORK -- airtight.
12. The oil heated to 180°C. Tested with a scrap of dough: it should rise and sizzle at once.
13. Fried ONE OR TWO AT A TIME, 2 MINUTES a side, turning once.
14. TESTED: each should BALLOON within seconds. One flat one means a leaking seal; all of them flat means the oil was too cool.
15. Lifted onto kitchen paper and eaten hot.

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