Turkish Gözleme (Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread)

Gozleme, written “Gözleme” in Turkish, are crispy flatbreads made from a quick and easy dough and stuffed with delicious savory fillings. This recipe is stuffed with feta and spinach perfect for packed lunches, picnics, or just to snack on throughout the day!

Gozleme is our much-loved street food in Turkey and one of my favorite childhood snacks. In fact, my mother would prepare the crispy flatbreads for us to take to school in our lunch bags. The beloved snack is similar to other famous flatbreads like lahmacun and pide, except that the round dough is stuffed and rolled to make a half-moon shape.

Then, unlike lahmacun which is served open-faced, and pide which is pinched only at the top, gozleme is sealed around the edges. For this gozleme recipe, I used a simple filling of spinach, onion and feta seasoned with a hint of Aleppo pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt.

You can find gozleme all over Turkey, at street vendors, farmers markets, and cafes. They’re traditionally cooked over a round sac griddle, which is a wide, thin pan similar to a Mexican comal.

Thankfully, authentic gozleme is easy to make at home over a wide non-stick pan. Serve for breakfast with a cup of çay–the Turkish word for tea, pronounced: “chai.” Or, pack for lunch or enjoy throughout the day as a wholesome snack.

Table of Contents

1. Origins of Gozleme
2. Gozleme Ingredients 
3. How to Make Gozleme
1. Get Ready
2. Shape the Gozleme
3. Cook the Gozleme
4. Ways to Mix it Up: Popular Fillings
1. Mashed Potato and Caramelized Onion
2. More Filling Variations
5. Tips for Making Gozleme    
6. How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Gözleme       
7. Try These Turkish Recipes
8. Turkish Gözleme (Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread) Recipe

Origins of Gozleme

The origin of these stuffed flatbreads goes back thousands of years. Turkish Yörüks (nomads) were making gözleme as they traveled from Central Asia and settled in Anatolia, today’s Turkey. 

The word gözleme is believed to derive from Turkish word “közleme,” meaning to “cook on the embers,” as the yörüks were cooking the flatbreads originally on embers. 

Today, gozleme is enjoyed all throughout Turkey. If you get the chance to visit, you may see women rolling the gozleme dough into thin round sheets effortlessly over wooden boards in street markets and cooking them on the wide sac griddle. 

Gozleme Ingredients 

Gozleme dough can be either unleavened, as I make it here, or made with yeast-leavened dough. I love the simplicity and ease of the unleavened dough, consisting of only a few ingredients. Please make sure to rest the dough for 20 minutes, as this will help the gluten to relax and make the dough easier to roll into thin sheets. To make gozleme, you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour: Choice of flour for the traditional gözleme in Turkey, though you can experiment with whole wheat flour too. Please make sure the flour is sifted before combining with other ingredients so that your dough is smooth.
• Extra virgin olive oil: My number one choice for cooking oil, reflecting the healthy Mediterranean diet that the Turkish cuisine follows. Olive oil ensures a soft dough. Learn all about cooking with oil and how to select high quality olive oil in our essential guide, and find our selection of the best Mediterranean olive oils at our shop.
• Baby spinach: Gives a fresh quality to the filling, and is a classic accompaniment to feta. 
• Feta: Look for high quality sheep’s milk feta packed in brine. 
• Onion: Any color will due, but yellow onion is typical. 
• Seasoning: Aleppo pepper gives the filling a mild kick—you can find it at select grocery stores, online at our shop, or substitute with red pepper flakes. Salt and freshly ground black pepper enhance the flavor of both the filling and the dough.

How to Make Gozleme

The key to perfect dough, is to let it rest and roll it thin! Remember you're just cooking it briefly in a skillet so if the dough is too thick it won't cook properly. Once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly.

Get Ready

• Combine the dough ingredients. Use a fine mesh sieve or flour sifter to sift 3 ⅓ cups of all purpose flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of salt. To the well, add 1 cup of lukewarm water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. clean hands, begin incorporating the flour into the water and oil until you make a rough dough. It will feel for a moment like the dough will never come together, but keep working at it until you make a shaggy dough. 
• Knead the dough. Dust your countertop with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead with your hands, for about 2 to 3 minutes until it’s a smooth, semi-firm dough ball. Place the dough in a bowl, coat with a drizzle of olive oil and cover with a clean, damp towel. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes. This will allow the gluten to rest, making the dough much easier to work with. 
• Make the filling. Coarsely chop 4 packed cups of baby spinach leaves and place in a large restmixing bowl. Finely chop 1 medium yellow onion and add to the bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper (bear in mind that you’ll add feta later, which is quite salty). Stir in ½ teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. 
• Massage the filling. With clean hands, go hands-on and combine everything. Massaging the seasoning into the vegetables will help soften the onions and spinach and infuse them with flavor. Crumble in one cup of feta and combine again. Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste. Cover and set aside.

Shape the Gozleme

• Shape the dough. Once the dough has rested, place it on a clean, dry surface with a sprinkle of flour. Use a bench scraper or large chef’s knife to divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each dough into a ball and place them back on the bowl. Cover with a damp towel to keep moist. 
• Roll the dough. Take one dough ball out at a time and place on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll into a very thin circle, about 10 1 ⁄ 2-inch diameter circle. The dough might spring back a little bit but keep going: A thin dough is paramount for the gozleme to cook correctly in the skillet. 
• Fill the gozleme. Spread about a ½ cup of the filling evenly over one half of the circle, leaving a 0.8-inch gap around the edges.
• Seal the gozleme. Fold the empty side over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Gently pat the top to push out any air and then push down with your thumbs around the edges to form a good seal (a little water on your fingers helps here). 
• Repeat. Place the finished gözleme on a sheet tray without touching. Cover with a clean towel so they don’t dry out. Repeat this with the rest of the dough balls, keeping the finished gozleme covered.

Cook the Gozleme

• Cook the gozleme. Heat a large and wide (about 11-inches diameter) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place one of the gozleme in the dry the pan and cook for 1 minute. Then carefully flip over and cook the other side for 1 minute. Flip again and cook for about 45 to 50 seconds (the light brown circles will start to appear). Flip over again and cook for another 45 seconds. By then, the gozleme should be cooked with visible light brown patches around. 
• Keep covered as you finish. Place the cooked gozleme on a clean tray and brush both sides, with olive oil. Cover with a clean towel to keep moist as you cook the remaining gozleme.
• Serve. Serve warm or at room temperature, on its own or with a refreshing salad on the side. Afiyet Olsun, which in Turkish means, “May you be happy and healthy eating this food.”            

Ways to Mix it Up: Popular Fillings

Gözleme is versatile and accommodating–you can use the herbs and vegetables you have on hand for the filling. We use a variety of fillings in Turkey which differ throughout the regions. You may see a variety of fresh herbs added at the Aegean region or ground meat-based fillings in mainland Anatolia, for instance. Here are some of my favorite gozleme fillings:

Mashed Potato and Caramelized Onion

• Season the potato. Add 3 cups of mashed potatoes and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste in a large bowl and mix well. 
• Caramelize the onions. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Stir in 1 thinly sliced onion and cook over for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often. The onions will start to caramelize, soften and turn golden. 
• Combine and adjust to taste. Turn the heat off and spoon the onions onto the potato mash. Once the onions are cool enough to handle, stir in 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley and ½ teaspoon of Aleppo pepper and use your hands to combine everything well. Check the seasoning and add more salt or spices to your taste. Cover and set aside until it’s completely cool, then use as stuffing for the gözleme.

More Filling Variations

• Sautéed onions and ground meat
• Crumbled feta and parsley
• Spinach, mushroom, and onion
• Sautéed peppers, chard/spinach, onions, with the option to (add olives or crumbled feta as variations)                                              

Tips for Making Gozleme    

Here are my tips for making the best gozleme:

• Use the ingredients you have on hand. Making gozleme is a fantastic way to whip up delicious snacks using the ingredients you already have. Use up the herbs, vegetables, cheese, and olives you have on hand with these delicious flatbreads.
• Rest your dough. Make sure to rest the dough for 20 minutes, as this will help the gluten to relax and make the dough easier to roll.
• Use a wide, non-stick skillet. Though gozleme is originally cooked over a wide, round sac griddle, a wide non-stick skillet works well too.
• Allow time for the filling to cool down. If you’re filling the dough with cooked items like caramelized onions or mashed potatoes, make sure your filling is cooled down before making the gozleme. You can conveniently prepare the filling a day ahead of time too and store covered in your fridge.
• Prevent the filling from escaping. Make sure to leave space around the edges of the filling free so you have room to seal. Try not to overfill, as the filling may ooze out. Finally, once you’ve pressed down on the edges to seal the gozleme well, gently pat the top to get rid of any air bubbles. 
• Prevent the dough from drying. Once you’ve placed the prepared gozleme on a clean tray, brush with olive oil and cover with a clean towel so it won’t dry out.

And above all, have fun making these delicious flatbreads! Involve everyone in the process and let them have a go—they will love making their own gözleme!       

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Gözleme       

Gozleme is convenient to make. You can make the filling a day ahead and keep covered in the fridge. Once cooked and cooled, gozleme will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat over a non-stick pan for about 1 ½ minutes on each side over medium to high heat. I wouldn’t recommend freezing as they can get soggy.

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