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Balkan

Cheese burek

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Бурек са сиром · Burek sa sirom

Layers of flaky filo brushed with oil and filled with salty white cheese, curd cheese, eggs and yogurt, baked until golden — a Balkan bakery breakfast.

Cheese burek is a Balkan savoury bake, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with filo pastry and feta. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
416

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) and oil a large baking dish (opens in a new tab). Mix the feta (opens in a new tab), cottage cheese (opens in a new tab), eggs (opens in a new tab) and half the yogurt (opens in a new tab) into a thick filling.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the oil and sparkling water (opens in a new tab) together. Lay 4 filo (opens in a new tab) sheets in the dish, brushing each with the oil mixture.

    • 5 min
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Continue layering, scattering filling over every two brushed sheets, until everything is used; finish with 3–4 plain brushed sheets.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Spread the remaining yogurt (opens in a new tab) over the top, cut into squares and bake until deep golden and puffed.

    • 40 min
    • 200°C

    Food safety: Bake until the egg filling is fully set.

  5. Step 5

    Rest for 10 minutes before serving warm.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedDescended from Ottoman layered pastries; distinct regional versions exist across the Balkans and Turkey.Also popular in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Türkiye
Dish
Breakfast · Brunch · Lunch · Pizza & savoury pies · Pastries
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
salty, savoury, buttery, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Filo pastry · Feta · Cottage cheese · Egg · Yogurt · Sparkling water
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom feta, cottage cheese, yogurt
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom filo pastry
  • Contains: Glutenfrom filo pastry

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

416 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 184 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 15%
  • Carbohydrate 28%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy416 kcal226 kcal
Protein15.4 g8.4 g
Carbohydrate28.8 g15.7 g
Net carbohydrate27.9 g15.2 g
Sugars2.2 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.9 g0.5 g
Fat26.3 g14.3 g
Saturated fat8.5 g4.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol112 mg61 mg
Sodium796 mg432 mg
Salt equivalent2 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
156 mg
Calcium
257 mg
Iron
2.1 mg
Magnesium
22 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
95 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
91 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cover the filo you're not using with a damp towel so it doesn't crack.

Common mistakes

  • Under-baking leaves the inner layers doughy — bake until deep golden right across the top.

Serve with

  • Serve with plain yogurt or ayran-style drinking yogurt for breakfast.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze baked portions for 1 month.

Reheating

  • Reheat in the oven to re-crisp the pastry.

Variations

  • Burek s mesom: Filled with spiced minced beef and onion.
  • Zeljanica: Filled with spinach and cheese.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 40 min at 200 °C

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

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