“Can we learn how to make gozleme (Anatolian stuffed flat breads) at the next class?” asked one of my regular Turkish cooking class participants, few months ago. I greatly enjoy their requests, enthusiasm to learn more and have a go at them; that’s all I could hope for from the classes. “Sure, why not!” was reply; I was excited and my heart was set on tackling the much loved gozleme, Turkish flat breads with stuffing, the proper way. During my recent visit to Turkey, I got myself a proper non-stick oval gozleme pan to have a go at these delicious treats.
Local ladies preparing Gozleme at Hanimeli Restaurant, near Sirince – Turkey
Having said that, the prospect of preparing Gozleme from scratch; preparing the dough and opening, stretching the dough as thin as sheets of paper was a little daunting at first. I call myself a cook more than a baker and greatly admire local ladies making it so effortlessly at home, in Turkey. Could I tackle it, I wondered. Thank goodness the sheer excitement of having a go at gozleme weighed much higher and I am so glad I tried. The sheets stretched beautifully and gozleme tasted heavenly. I owe a big thank you to David for the inspiration and that precious request!
Gozleme is traditionally prepared on giant non-stick round pan
We Turks love these stuffed flat breads, gozleme. Turks were originated from Central Asia, where they drifted towards Anatolia gradually and made their home. They have been making these stuffed flat breads since then. Gozleme is a much loved Turkish street food and a special part of the delicious Turkish breakfast. These popular snacks are cooked quickly on a hot griddle and can be filled with various fillings. Some of my favorite fillings are mashed potatoes, cheese and parsley; spinach and cheese, and ground meat and onions. And they go down very well with a glass of cay, Turkish tea or ayran, traditional Turkish yoghurt drink.
My Ispanakli & Peynirli Gozleme – Anatolian Flat breads with cheese, onion and spinach, indeed easier than you think!
In the filling in this recipe I added a little Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi to the filling for a spicier version; it flavored the spinach and onion really well. If you would like a milder taste, simply omit the red pepper paste (or the pepper flakes).
Here is also my YouTube video link for How to make Home Style Gozleme:
Gozleme, Pide and savoury pastry recipes are also included in my Gourmand award winner cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table, signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, now 20 % OFF available to order at this link. It is delivered worldwide; now with lower shipping rates to the US, Canada and Mexico at this link.
Makes about 5 Gozleme
1lb./ 16 oz. / 3 cups plain flour
8g / 1 sachet instant dried yeast
Pinch of salt
45 ml/ 3 tbsp. olive oil
30 ml / 2 tbsp. plain natural yoghurt (preferably whole milk)
260 ml/ 9 fl. oz. / 1/5 cups warm water (150 ml/ 5 fl. oz. warm water to be mixed with the yeast)
For the filling:
200gr/7 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper paste (optional)
230gr/8oz feta cheese
15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil
Non-stick pan or griddle to cook the Gozleme
Combine about 150 ml/ 5 fl. oz. warm water, yeast and salt in a small bowl, stir and cover. Stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.
Divide the gozleme dough into balls, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for 30 minutes.
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast, water & salt mixture, olive oil, yoghurt and the remaining warm water (about 110 ml/ 4 fl. oz./ ½ cup) . Using your hand, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough. Knead thoroughly to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 5 pieces, knead them and roll into balls. Place the balls on a floured surface, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for about 30 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.
Knead the onions, spinach, olive oil and if you are using, red pepper paste first with your hands; that will soften the onions and blend the flavors well.
Stir in the feta cheese to the spinach mixture and combine well.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Chop the washed spinach leaves roughly. Knead the onions, spinach, olive oil and if you are using, red pepper paste (or red pepper flakes) with your hands for a few minute or so – that will soften the onions and blend the flavors well -. Stir in the feta cheese and combine well.
Roll the gozleme dough with a rolling pin until you achieve a thin sheet of a flat round.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each of the balls of the dough with a rolling pin into thin, flat rounds, about 40cm/16in diameter. Sprinkle a little flour as you roll the dough so that the dough won’t stick. Roll until you achieve a thin sheet of a flat round.
Fold the left and right sides of the dough in a way for the edges to meet in the middle and spread the filling in the middle.
Then fold the top and bottom edges over the filling, making sure all the filling is safely covered.
Fold the left and right sides of the dough in a way for the edges to meet in the middle. Spread about 2 ½ tablespoon filling into the middle part of this flat sheet. Then fold the top and bottom edges over the filling, making sure all the filling is safely covered. Press edges together well to seal. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough balls.
Brush one side of the gozleme with a little olive oil and place on the pan to cook for about 2 -3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan, and brush one side of the gozleme with a little olive oil and place on the pan to cook for about 2 -3 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the uncooked side with a little olive oil and then flip it over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
Cook the gozleme for about 2 -3 minutes on a non-stick pan, or until golden brown.
Brush both cooked sides of gozleme with a little olive oil -this will keep the gozleme moist. Cook the rest of the gozleme the same way.
My Ispanakli & Peynirli Gozleme – Turkish Flat breads with cheese, onion and spinach stuffing; they are indeed easier than you think!
You can either roll the Gozleme to serve, or you can cut in halves or quarters. Ayran Turkish yoghurt drink or Turkish tea, cay would go really well next to Gozleme.
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
Ozlem, you just made me so so hungry with these mouthwatering photos! I want to make/eat some of that gozleme right now… I wish we were neighbors… 🙂
Thank you so much Alison! I greatly enjoy your food too, and wished we were neighbors too : ) these gozlemes are really easy though, I bet yours will be delicious : )
Thank you for the recipe! It turned out exactly as I expected. I even shared it with my neighbors. They liked it so much they wanted to try making it, too! The dough rises nicely, and your recipe works wonderfully! I actually divided the 5 pieces of dough in 10 to make smaller versions of Gozleme which fit my frying pan better. Another variation I did was to saute the onions first before mixing it with the spinach. I also used jalepeno jack cheese instead of feta cheese to suit my taste. Thank you also for posting the pictures! Seeing the women cooking together as a communal activity is such a joy. It reminds me of my travels in Turkey when I saw the women doing the same thing together in their village, wearing similar clothes, cooking similar food on low tables. Many thanks to you, Ozlem!
Merhaba dear Helen, thank you so much for your kind note and sincere apologies for my late reply – I have been traveling, teaching and book signing in the last 3,5 weeks, just catching up! So glad you enjoyed making Gozleme and that it brought back happy memories of your travels back home. I grew up cooking with my mother, grandmother and cousins and this communal cooking and sharing is indeed such a joy.
I have a cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, with over 90 authentic recipes like this, as well as stories from my homeland, if you would like to get a copy – it is signed copies! – link is here https://www.gbpublishing.co.uk/product-page/ozlem-s-turkish-table-hardback
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
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Wow these look so delicious! I made some Pide last night that turned out pretty good at home. I did do one thing I wish I did not which was to use whole wheat flour. They were still good but not the real thing! Gozleme is one of my favorite foods. I always keep my eyes open for things I could use for a sac. Thought about getting a metal shope to make me one to use in my grill outside! The photos are great!
Cok tesekkurler April! I need to be in the right mood to use whole wheat flour too, for pides. I also used a wide non-stick pan to make gozlemes, it works well. Loved the idea of an outside sac for your gozlemes though, enjoy!
Why don’t you try inverting a wok… that should do the trick.
You are right Mary, wok is a good idea, not as flat as gozleme pan but a good idea – a flat large non stick pan also works really well.
i have made gozlems but i used phyllo, not quite the same! as soon as i find time, i will be making these. i like the spinach, lemon, feta and herb filling but i also like them with added ground lamb. thank you so much for this recipe!
You are very welcome Jaz; it is also tasty with fillo sheets, though the dough was a different experience, very satisfying. I do love ground lamb and onion filling too!:)
These flat bread are so mouthwatering and delicious, Ozlem! And worth making from scratch. Dough reminds me of a ‘batura’ dough from India, always those striking similarities in our cuisines! The feta being kneaded into the filling is the perfect touch! Lovely recipe:) xxPeri.
Cheers Peri, I greatly enjoy discovering similarities and variations in our cuisines too, fascinating. Kneading the spinach & onion first and than with feta really worked to blend the flavors well – glad you enjoyed the post! Ozlem xx
Hi Ozlem ,can I use self raising flour instead of plain flour and would I still add the yeast ,
Thanks
Liz
Merhaba dear Liz,
If using self raising flour, I think you would skip adding yeast – I haven’t made this way but I think it will works well, let me know if I can help – afiyet olsun, Ozlem x
G’day! Your gozleme makes me hungry now, TRUE!
I am a big fan of them and also your blog and you! 🙂
Cheers! Joanne
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Many thanks Joanne, think we all love gozleme! many thanks for your kind words : )
these look amazing!!! Yum 🙂
Cok tesekkurler Mary, we have to make them together sometime, they were delicious : )
I love this post! You always have stunning photos. I like the ones with the ladies cooking bread. I must say I am so tempted to make those flat breads, it is time I try (I confess: I buy them ready but surely they will never taste as good as these).
Bookmarking! Thanks for sharing! XX
I loved watching the local ladies making flat breads and gozleme too, they do it so effortlessly! Glad you enjoyed the post – do have a go at gozleme, you are brilliant at baking, I am sure they will be wonderful : ) Ozlem x
These do look and sound wonderful. I’d definitely add the red pepper paste. I was wondering why the gozleme pan is oval. Is it because you can vary the shape of the finished gozleme or is it to make it easier to turn them?
Hi Phil, lovely to see you here; as for the shape of the gozleme pan – which is called “sac” in Turkish; I think there is more to the functionality of it, that it is easier to cook and turn them around this way. A wide flat non-stick pan also work perfectly too. Great to have you back at the blogging world!:)
I would love one with a glass of ayran please 🙂 Looks delicious, Ozlem 🙂
Cok sagol Ilke, wished we were close by, they would be right at your table 🙂 Sevgiler, Ozlem
Another lovely post in a great blog. The pictures make my mouth already watering and I think I got a lot of new inspirations for my lunch or even dinner plans 🙂 I already tried Anatolian Flat breads when I was in Turkey but I’ve never thought of doing them myself at home, but since I have a recipe now I’ll definitely give it a try (even though I doubt it that it will be as good as in Turkey :P). If you have a recipe like this you absolutely want to try but it is not in your language and you are not sure what some words mean use a professional translation service in order to get an accurate translation and you won’t miss out on the chance to eat something really delicious.
I have made gozleme before, but your recipe looks the most appealing by far!! I usually make borek with spinach, feta and potato – Will post this soon.
Thank you for stopping by, I am glad you enjoyed the gozleme – look forward to your borek!:)
A few of years ago I visited Turkey and my uncle who lives there introduced me to Gozleme. A came across this page a couple if weeks ago in search of Turkish pastry recipes and found Gozleme. I LOVE spinah and feta cheese and have been seriously craving gozleme since then. today I finally had the time to go to the supermarket to get spinash to complete my ingredients. As I was picking my spinash the store assistant wanted to help me get the freshest veggies and gave me spinash from his crate. I only realised it was rocket when I got home. I still insist on making them and inshaAllah when I do will let you know how it turns out. It looks simply delicious I can’t wait to have some.
Merhaba Sam, thank you very much for your kind note; I greatly hope you get to make your gozleme and enjoy it : ) Rocket has a stonger flavor than spinach but still should be delicious in gozleme, I very much look forward to hearing how you get on. Cok Selamlar! Ozlem
Merhaba Ozlem!
I made it the spinach and feta gozleme and they were delicious! Still couldn’t find fresh spinach unfortunately so used frozen spinach. It looks less green than the ones you made but my family still loved them. Hopefully next time I’m going to make them with fresh spinach and even maybe try rocket and meat fillings.
Thank you for the lovely website and recipes! Xxx
Sam
Merhaba Sam, many thanks for your kind note, delighted to hear you enjoyed the gozleme! Spinach is wonderful in the filling, but you can also use mashed potatoes, cheese & parsley or ground meat sauteed in onions with seasoning, they all work really well here. I would give rocket a try too with some cheese. Mey best wishes, let me know if I can help further!: ) Ozlem
I visited Turkey last July and this was one of my favorite “dishes”!!!! Thank you for sharing! Your country is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen with lovely, generous, gracious people!
What a lovely note Dianne, thanks so much! hope you enjoy making your own gozleme 🙂
At one end of my road there is a farmers market every Wednesday and the other end is the night market at Mavişehir (which is seasonal) and at both the ladies make beautiful gozleme to your own requirement with ayran for 5tl so it does seem quite time consuming to make my own and I do love to watch the ladies kneading and rolling the dough, they are the experts and it is a real treat and so inexpensive and really they do need the customers. My husband has karaşik (mixed) and I have lemon and sugar.
Merhaba Susan, many thanks for your note. I am with you, gozleme is so readily available and just delicious at home, so hard to make at home unless you’re really into making your own. As I live abroad, it is such a special treat to recreate for me and many folks like me. Enjoy those gozlemes for us!
I have the sweetest group of Turkish friends (living in Dallas, TX) and my friend made gozleme once when I was at her house. It was the same kind- spinach and cheese and maybe there were eggs inside too- the dough is so soft!! This might be one of my favorite Turkish foods that I’ve tried!! 🙂
Merhaba Mallory, glad you enjoyed gozleme with your friends – it really is easy to make and most delicious – afiyet olsun!
I can’t wait to try this! Looks amazing!
thank you Miki, hope you enjoy making your own gozleme!
I am so going to make this! Just looking at your photos make me drool. LOL. Can I knead the dough with stand mixer instead?
Merhaba Annie, many thanks for stopping by! I guess you can use the mixer at the beginning, then you will need to knead with your hands to shape and turn into a smooth dough, for only a couple of minutes. Hope you enjoy gozleme – a big hit with us!:)
The flatbread looks delicious!! We in India , too make so many flatbreads.. Would definitely try this for sure:)
Thanks for your note Shubha, hope you enjoy them!
Ozlem, thanks for this recipe. I found that one part was unclear: You say “Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture, olive oil, yoghurt and the water.” The yeast mixture already includes the water so the mention of it again at the end is confusing. (After reading that I ended up adding double the amount of water and then had to double the rest of the dough ingredients to get everything back to the right proportion.)
The other thing I found is that it was hard to roll the dough out thin enough without it breaking when wrapped around the filling. As a result, the finished gozleme were much thicker than those I had in Turkey. However, they were still delicious!
Thanks again,
/adam
Many thanks for the feedback Adam, I really appreciate it. With saying “yeast mixture” I meant the yeast, salt and 300 ml water, now I see it may not have been that clear. Thanks to your note, I revised and made this clear. The remaining of warm water goes in the flour mixture, I edited this bit too. Many thanks for this precious feedback. My gozleme is thicker than the ones in Turkey too – it is a real art to roll the dough that thin without breaking! I am glad to hear they were delicious, many thanks again for the feedback – afiyet olsun!
Ozlem:
Elinize sagilik! Yes, it makes more sense now, though maybe there won’t be much remaining warm water since the ingredients call for 300 ml of water and you say that 300 ml goes in with the yeast. 🙂
We will be taking our kayaks out this evening and bring the leftover gozeleme with us for an on-the-water picnic; we have been talking about them all day. And that is quite fitting since the first time we had gozeleme is when we charted a gulet on the Turquoise Coast for our honeymoon. In the mornings a woman with a floating “snack bar” would come out and tie up to our boat and feed us piping hot flatbread off her grill. Great memory.
Thanks again!
Merhaba again Adam! You are right again – huge thanks! (and learning my lesson not to edit in the middle of the night!:) About 5 fl. oz warm water goes in the yeast mixture and the rest gets combined with the flour and all. I am so glad you will be enjoying the gozlemes in your kayaks, you have a lovely Gozleme memory back home. I have very similar memories of enjoying Gozleme as we sailed around Kekova, very precious. Afiyet olsun and many thanks again!:)
Made these tonight along with red lentil soup for my family. We all loved it! I g ound the dough to be a fantastic consistency and got mine to roll out really thin. It was fun seeing how thin I could get it. Thanks for the wonderful recipes, I will be trying more:)
Merhaba Elizabeth, many thanks for your note, so glad you enjoyed making Gozleme! Such a treat isn’t it, and once you give it a go, you see how easy it is, so glad! Hope you enjoy other recipes too, afiyet olsun, Ozlem
Tonight is my second time visiting your website and making your wonderful Golezeme
They are so yummy – I dream about them!
Thank you so much for posting and sharing this wonderful recipe.
Dear Lynda, thank you so much for your kind note, really delighted to hear you’re enjoying Gozleme, a favorite with us too! Afiyet Olsun, Ozlem
Hi Holly, I used all purpose plain flour and it worked very well. I haven’t tried making it with bread flour but I can’t see why not, if you’d like to experiment, hope you enjoy making Gozleme too.
Thank you Ozlem. I can’t wait to make this! It was my favorite street food in Turkey 🙂
Is it better to use bread flour or all purpose when making gozleme?
Just made these, thanks! One of my favorite Turkish foods. Question: at what point(s) can these be frozen? I live alone and eating 5 in one day is a little much, even for me. Should I cook them and freeze them fully cooked? Or freeze the balls of raised dough and filling separately?
Merhaba Dan, delighted to get your note; so glad you enjoyed your gozleme! They freeze great after fully cooked; I wrap each of them in aluminum foil and freeze. When you’re ready to eat, just place on a baking tray and reheat in the preheated oven at 350 f / 180 C for about 10 minutes, they make such a delicious surprise – afiyet olsun! Ozlem
I love spinach and fetta one
But i am a bit confused with the dough i search it and found different recipes some with yeast and some without
Does it really makes a difference
I will appreciate some advise
Thank you for your note – there are few recipes out there, though I can’t comment on them as I haven’t tried. My recipe is well tested and works well so I can speak for it, do hope you enjoy it, Ozlem
Merhaba Ozlem, I just used your recipe and it was delicious. One thing though my gozleme turned out crispy is this how they should be? I remember the ones I had in Turkey were soft?
Merhaba Alexandra, thank you for your note – it is because gozleme here is cooked on a non-stick pan, it may take more heat while cooking and turn it a bit more crispy, you may try to lower the heat a little, yes you are right, it is softer at home with a thinner, larger sheet of dough. Glad it turned out delicious for you.
Would it be possible to prepare these ahead of time? Say 1-2 hrs between preparation and cooking? Just trying to see if I can do that for my daughter’s birthday party.
Hi, I suggest you bake them ahead of time and give a gentle reheat in the oven – 5 mins or so at 180C/350C- , they would work beautifully – happy coming birthday to your daughter!Ozlem
thank you .i made these for breakfast this morning. they were delicious. spot on. I will definitly be making these again & again
Merhaba dear Marina, thank you so much for your kind note; so glad you enjoyed gozleme – a favourite with us too : )
Just to also let you know, my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table is now available on amazon (kindle for US) , and signed hardback copies available at this link and delivered worldwide, if interested – with over 90 authentic recipes, stunning photos and stories from my homeland :
https://www.gbpublishing.co.uk/ozlemsturkishtable
thank you for your kind note again, best wishes, cok sevgiler, Ozlem
Any reason almond or cashew yogurt couldn’t replace the the full milk yogurt?
Merhaba, I don’t see why not – I haven’t experimented with almond or cashew yoghurt yet; the dough I imagine will be softer with the full milk yoghurt but I am positive your choice of yoghurt would work too. If you experiment it, I would love to hear your experience, thank you and Afiyet olsun, Ozlem
Omgosh I made this tonight and it was sensational! My kids couldn’t believe I actually made their favourite gozleme. I’ll be ordering your book online. Thanks so much for the recipe, amazed at how easy it was! Can’t wait to make again.
Merhaba Ann-Marie,
Thank you so much for your kind note – made my day! So glad you enjoyed making gozleme and family loved it, Afiyet olsun. Thank you for getting my book, I hope it brings many memorable meals and memories, cok tesekkurler! Ozlem
Hi Ozlem, I was wondering if I could freeze the gozlem before cooking it so the kids can take one out in the afternoon to cook for a snack? Or do you think it would be better to cook and then freeze?
Hi Jen,
Thank you for stopping by – I find it is best to cook gozleme and give a gentle reheat in the oven (at 180C/350F for about 8 mins), what a lovely snack for the children – Afiyet Olsun!
Ozlem
Ozlem, thank you for the recipe. I have your book and it is simply divine!
For the Gözleme, is it possible to put them in the oven to cook?
Thank you!
Merhaba Michelle,
You are most welcome, I am glad you are enjoying my book. Gozleme really needs to be quickly cooked over a non-stick pan or griddle, oven baking could make it dry. I hope you enjoy it, Afiyet Olsun, Ozlem
I always love your recipes, thank you! Made these last night, and they turned out well. The dough was surprisingly easy to work with. I think my assembly technique needed a little work, as a lot of dough ended up folded in the corners. The cheese I used was drier and less salty than feta, but they tasted good anyway.
Thank you so muxh for your kind note, glad to hear you enhoyed gozleme. It gets easier with practice : ) I am working on another gozleme recipe with unleavened dough, another delicious one and easier too. Afiyet olsun, Ozlem
thanks for the link!
thank you very much!