You can’t miss trying burek when in the Balkans – and you’ll fall in love. So, here is an easy-to-make Croatian burek recipe.
I have made burek numerous times along with many of these other Croatian recipes. Although, I had never made burek from scratch as I was scared to try to make the phyllo dough.
I had always wondered how to make burek like a real Croatian while I was living in Australia. Burek is made here in Croatia and many other Balkan countries, plus many other parts of the world in its various forms, such as Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East.
Burek, also known as bourék, byurek, pita, bourekas, and cheese pie, can be formed into horseshoe shapes, coils, cylinders, or round pies, variously eaten as appetizers or as a main course. No matter what you call it (or dispute where it comes from), Croatian Burek is WAY better than any Australian pie I have ever had.
Burek, for those who do not know, is filo (phyllo) pastry filled with cheese, meat, potato, spinach, apple…. in fact, almost anything.
Burek is the food you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just as a snack. It’s not exactly very healthy, but on the upside, if you eat a big slice of burek, it is sure to fill you. That way, you can skip your next meal. I personally never skip meals, as someone once told me that’s bad for you (that’s my story, and I am sticking to it), so I always find room for the next meal. But that’s a good tip for those of you who can’t skip meals.
Please do not judge me, knowing I always purchased the store-bought phyllo pastry when I made burek.
I know, I know, it’s terrible – but it is oh-so-easy. While my cheese burek turns out great thanks to some great tips that Mr. Chasing the Donkey’s Baba (Grandmother) shared with me, it’s not anything like the REAL thing I buy here in Croatia.
The thought of making the filo pastry from scratch always seemed so impossible. Many Croats kept telling me just how ‘teško’ (hard) it is to make – so, needless to say, I avoided even trying it. But then, I stumbled upon an easy peasy way to make the filo pastry.
Okay, it’s not as easy as unwrapping the store-bought pastry, but he makes it look and sound so much better than that. As with all of the Croatian recipes I share, there are a gazillion ways to make the same thing, but this one, to me, is a standout!
And look, if the only difficulty you face is learning the technique of stretching and rolling the dough (or you are short on time), buy the phyllo dough – no one will know.
Easy Croatian Burek Recipe
You can't miss trying burek when in the Balkans - and you'll fall in love. So, here is an easy to make Croatian burek recipe.
Ingredients
Burek Dough:
- 500g all-purpose flour (3.5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 300-350mls lukewarm water (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups)
- Vegetable oil
Burek Cheese Filling:
- 150 g cottage cheese (2/3 cup)
- 100 g crumbled feta cheese (2/3 cup)
- 1 large beaten egg
Meat And Potato Filling:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 medium, diced onion
- 300 g lean beef mince (10 oz)
- 1 potato, boiled cut into small cubes
- 2 grated garlic cloves
- Half teaspoon chopped rosemary, fresh is best
- Half tablespoon smoked paprika
- Half tablespoon salt
Instructions
How To Make Burek Dough:
- Take a large bowl and combine the flour and the salt
- Add the water bit by bit, mixing until the mixture forms a dough
- Knead the dough for around five minutes, until it turns quite stretchy
- Split the dough mixture into batches of four and press down to flatten
- You need to find a bowl or a pan which is large enough to hold the dough when it is piled up on top of each other
- Add a little bit of vegetable oil to the pan or bowl and put the first flattened piece of dough inside
- Add a bit more oil (not too much), and add another piece of dough – repeat until you’ve done the same with all four pieces
- Add more vegetable oil on top of the last piece and place to one side to rest
- Preheat your oven to around 200°C (390°F)
- Add a little vegetable oil over your work surface (a table is best) – just a little!
- Remove one piece of dough from the bowl and remove the excess oil
- Flatten the piece of dough until it reaches a thickness of no more than around half a centimeter
- Handle the dough and stretch it outwards, over and over, so that you pull it to around 1 meter in diameter – you might end up with a few holes but don’t worry about it too much. By the end, you should be able to see through the dough
- Take one side of the dough disc and fold it over, towards the center
- Repeat this process until you have a shape that resembles a pentagon
- Repeat with the second piece of dough
- Add your filling (see below for the filling instructions) to the dough piece
- Add the first piece of stretched dough into the middle of the second one, and cut away the thick edge of the second piece – you can throw this away, you won’t need it
- Fold over the edges of the dough, so that you get a pentagon shape once more, and put it into a baking pan or tray
- Put the pan in the oven and bake for around half an hour, until it is a golden color
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down
- Cut into 12 pieces
- Repeat the process with the rest of the dough
- Bake until the pastry turns golden, and serve while warm!
For The Cheese Filling:
- Take a mixing bowl and add in both kinds of cheese, combining together
- Add the egg and combine once more
For The Meat & Potato Filling:
- Take a large pan and heat up the oil over a medium heat
- Add the onion and cook until soft
- Now, add the mince and cook for around 2 minutes, stirring regularly
- Now, add the potato, the rosemary, the garlic, and the paprika, and stir to combine
- Add the salt and continue to cook, ensuring the beef mince is cooked through
- Once cooked, drain the beef with a sieve to get rid of any excess oil and press down to dry it out
- Meat and Cheese Burek
- Stuffed Peppers {Punjene Paprike}
- Klipići {rolls}
- Under the bell {Ispod čripnje}
- Pasticada Recipe
- Octopus Salad
- Prezgana Soup (Brown Roux Soup)
- Lazy Apple Pie {Lijena Pita s Jabukama}
- Stuffed Vine Leaves (Japrak)
- Zagorje Cheese Strukli
- Trogirski Rafioli {Filled Cookies}
- Bijela Pita (White Slice Traditional Cake)
- Pita Zeljanica (Savory Pie With Spinach)
- Buredžici: Meat Pie Topped With Sour Cream, Yogurt & Garlic
- Oblatne s Čokoladnom Karamel Kremom (Tort Wafers Cake)
- Klepe (Bosnian Ravioli)
- Breskvice – Peach-Shaped Cookies
That looks ****ing lovely – can’t wait to try it!
I am looking forward to seeing what ‘Sue’ changes you make ;)
So am I! – I’ll try and stick to the recipe, honestly, but you know what I’m like ;-)
HA! Have to hide this from my husband unless I want to wind up making burek on a daily basis. xD, just kidding, maybe he decides he wants to give it a go
What did he think? Was it too hard for him?
He hasn’t had the chance yet to try and make it, but I did make burek once before, not completely from scratch (like you I used the store bought philo dough). He enjoyed it and wishes I would make it more often. Sadly kids don’t enjoy burek at all (blasphemy!) but oddly enough they liked my soparnik experiment
looks delicious but probably easier to eat than to make!! ;) that pastry does not look easy to stretch and needs experience hands
Ohhh yes, much easier to eat it… but isn’t everything :)
This was the one and only time i made burek, so I can safely say the dough is beyond easy to stretch and you don’t need experienced hands. I’ve never worked with pastry with such elasticity! I really is fun.
Thanks for featuring my recipe!
ANYTIME! As you can see by all of the comments, it was a huge HIT.
That looks great!!
I’m a chef – and I always used store-bought phyllo. Until I’m able to make a perfect pie crust, my own phyllo will simply have to wait
Yay, this makes me feel LOADS better :)
If I had time waiting out a bura, I’d probably give it a shot. But maybe I’ll try it later this winter, anyway. Still – no shame at all in using store-bought. It’s a great benefit of the time we live in. I always skip store-bought pizza dough and all Italian sauces, but buy phyllo and puff pastry.
It looks delectible and as for making phyllo – well I once watched Julia do it… a lot of butter, rolling, butter, rolling. Not my idea of fun but now I know why phyllo is so flakey and wonderful. Kudos to you for trying and congrats for your success.
Julie does it best :)
In this case it was John who did the hard work – I just shared it. I hope to make this later in the month.
I want some right NOW!!! If only you could send some home with Natalie….
Great post SJ !!!
At last I know how to do it, or at least know how théy do it.
Did you know burek stayed after the Ottomans (Turks) left.
It’s a typical Turkish dish, sold in every village/town in Turkey still today.
Anyway, now I know how to prepare it myself, as the explanation and pictures are excellent.
Poz. Pim.
Good to know about those facts Pim. You are always such a wealth on info. Did you make it?
I visited Croatia several years ago and tried burek from a food truck. I was hooked. I am so excited to try this out! I can’t wait for everyone to try it. I can’t explain to them how delicious it was so I’m just going to make it.
when you do a meat one, mix some potato as well :)
Yeah this is WAY too much work for me. But CHEbureks are VERY popular in Russia, for good reason – they are delicious! Are there deep-fried things that arent? :)
Yes, give me anything alcoholic or deep fried and I am yours.
Well, arent you an easy date ;-) Then again… it takes one to know one!
This looks delicious – I’m practically drooling. Good thing it’s lunchtime, because now I’m off to eat something. =)
This looks wonderful! I love cheese and pie. Cheese pie?! I need this in my life.
Yes, dont we all :)
Best food for hangover or getting out of a bar at 5am
Delicious! I just discovered your blog and had to say that I absolutely love burek. Embarrassingly enough, of all the Croation language I tried to take in during my visit, what stays with me is “Daj mi jedan burek!”
I love burek! I haven’t had it in Croatia, but I’ve tried it in Slovenia and Serbia which were completely different from each other. What makes the Croatian one unique?
YOu know what Adelina, I have not had either of those so I actually have no idea BUT You have inspired me to try and find Out….
The Serbian one was pretty similar to what you’ve made above I think. Judging based solely on appearances I think they have a couple more layers of dough inside, but I don’t know for sure.
I’m tempted to try this. . . or maybe I just need to see if there’s a Croatian bakery anywhere in Connecticut!
Yeah… or any kind of Mediterranean one… fingers crossed you (find) found one!
That looks delicious! And I am also intimidated by phyllo dough. This method looks doable, except I have no idea where I’d put a meter of dough in my tiny Barbie dream house kitchen. I think I’d have to scrub the floor as it would be the only surface large enough!
ROLF…. Barbie does not have it all made huh? Perhaps you can make it at a friends house.. and drink their wine as you make it :)
Excellent idea!
I LOVE burek, had plenty in Slovenia but I have never thought about trying these at home. Hmm. Should give it a go!
Hummm I love burek with meat, my favorite!!!
Yeah I am a meat fan too… and spinach!
Wowsers, that looks delicious!! I’ll have to get Mr Globalmouse onto this quick! Yum!!
Really? Your man cooks too? Arn’t we s lucky ;)
1. A rolling pin can help you to get thin dough to work with – then add oil to the work surface.
2. Instead of placing your filling in one single piece, it’s better to scatter it over the dough.
3. You can drizzle it when it’s half baked, too. Instead of water, you can drizzle it with milk+water or milk+sour cream.
Ohhh sour cream, now that is a nice addition. When you make it, lemme know I’d love to come over and eat it..
This looks lovely, a great way to use mince
Yes, this recipe is very affordable with the use of mince.
I adore these in depth posts with all the pics – stretching the dough looks so clever. Thanks so much for linking up with #recipeoftheweek. I’ve Pinned & Tweeted this post and there’s a fresh linky live now. Hope you join in :D x
Thanks, yup I joined. I love your reminders :) Keep ’em coming.
YUM! Might have to give this a go myself!
Croatian burek is delish, but you haven’t eaten pie until you’ve sampled the Bosnian stuff MY GOD it was a revelation!
Krompiruša was my favourite.
Okay, good to know. I’ll have to make a bee line for Bosnia.. as I love this stuff!
Just because simply burek does not originate from Croatia…
That looks delicious.
It looks so, so tasty! Will have to ask the husband if he had any while in Croatia and perhaps we’ll give it a go ourselves. xo
Burek is not Croatian meal. It is Bosnian. And burek is made only with meat. Everithing else is cheese pie. Croatian meal similar to this are “štrukli”.
Burke is Turkish in origin. It travelled to Bosnia during the 500 years of Ottoman rule. Eastern Croatia was under Ottoman Rule as well as Serbia. Each nation adapted the basic recipe into many forms: pita, burek, strukli, etc. Everyone I tasted in all the nations were delicious. Thank goodness food has no boundaries….
SJ, I had to come look at your site for some Croatian cooking inspiration. I’ve made my “American” borek, many, many times but never have tried making the actual pastry. I’m so intrigued, and I can’t wait to try it. I did see a baker in Zadar stretching his pastry a few weeks ago…He made it look easy!
Could you make it with apples?
If so could you post or email the recipe. Ta
It certainly can be done with apples. I don’t have an exact recipe as I have never done it. I’ll ask around and see if I can’t find one for you – stay tuned.
Thanks SJ for sharing this. Especially the step-by-step process. If you google images for ‘filo pastry’, all you get is store-bought filo. Doing it from scratch is not scary but it’s definitely an art. My grandma never knew exact measurements for the flour and water. She would just say: ‘add as much as the dough will take’. :-) My favourite is gibanica – it’s made with courgette, cottage cheese and poppy seeds.
You’re welcome. That combination sounds great. Did she just chop the courgettes up into small pieces?
I love your recipes! Your meat mixture is so well seasoned! Sometimes when I’m lazy, I omit the potatoes and mix in shredded hashbrowns at the end to the meat mixture. So good!
I’m dying to make a great Spinach one that doesn’t taste like spanakopita. What do you put in yours?
YUM! What a cool substitute idea. I love spanakopita, so I add in spinach, onions and sometimes mushrooms :D
Great I have some phyllo dough left in the freezer, burek here I come! Thanks for the recipe, next time I’ll just make my own dough.
Katie
Burek je samo iz BOSNE !
I BUREK JE SAMO S MESOM,SVE OSTALO SU PITE.
Kakva crna Hrvatska !?
So why here in Croatia do all of the shops sell ‘Burek’? It’s listed like that on all of the labels.
SJ. As a matter of fact, our Bosnian neighbours do name it burek only if it is made with meat. All others are called pita. In Croatia it’s a different story. Burek can be made with whatever filling, but mainly cheese and meat, I was also surprised when I ordered cheese burek in Mostar (Bosnia) and was told that this is called cheese pita in Bosnia.
Burek je pitac, sve su druge pite. ????
I used your recipe to make burek for a Eurovision feast yesterday & it was amazing! Thank you Mrs CtD ! Xx
Yay!!! Thats so cool. I am so glad John allowed us to share his recipe – seems everyone loves it.
My mother inlaw has just passed away and took the recipes with her dose any have it I loved watching her but she went very fast making even my boys they are both chefs and would love to have it a big thankyou if you can help
Sorry to hear Maureen. My condolences. May I ask what you need help with?
Sorry my heart was sad how do you make pita not the bread she made it each Sunday for us there was apple ,meat ,pumpkin or anything my would love if you could help
So you want a Pita bread recipe?
When you say 200 degrees, is that “without fan-forced”?
Looks awesome, love to try it sometime. If you buy the philo, how do you soak it in the oil ?
Well, I would not say that burek typical for Croatia… OK, everybody is allowed to prepare it, but in Croatia’s households ….I do not think that it is their speciality. Yes, it is possible to buy it almost everywhere, but the same is with pizza, soparnik, McDo and so on. On the contrary, in Bosnia & Herzegovina, one can find it almost everywhere, And it is something ….. Heaven on Earth, I still remember the taste of burek, zeljanica, sirnica, krompirusa i Sarajevo, 15 years ago. And it has nothing to do with any burek i have ever tasted in Croatia (Dalmatia).
Burek is typical for Bosnia. In Croatia – i would not call it “burek”…..
Some Croatian’s call it Pita.
From the Imotski Region they do.
My Grandmother called it Pita.
My Family is from Croatia.
My favorite thing in the world!
The cheese is my favorite! Yummy, cheese and pastry…who could hate that?
No, no no no and NO! Burek=PASTRY AND MEAT! Do not even try to order, for ex in Sarajevo, “burek sa sirom” ! You might get burek and some pieces of cheese together. :) All other equally wonderful thins are- zeljanica-spinach pie, sirnica-cheese pie, krompirusa-^potato pie, …
I am not in Sarajevo, I am in Croatia and all of the signs say burek sa sirom ili burek sa mesom….
Potato burek is my go to breakfast
WOW, this recipe always brings so many comments about the origons…. :O
Actually, I believe burek did originate from Turkey, rather. Though is very popular in all Balkan countries. I will say that prefacing the word with whichever country’s “style” of burek makes sense, as many countries do things a little differently.
That’s not burek… Perhaps a cro version of it?
Great dish and causes a lot of debate about origins.
Then you shout “Rakija for everyone” problem solved!
Or go to Sarajevo! Awesome pita
I’ve tried (and loved) Burek in #Croatia, #Bosnia & #Montenegro – will try the #Slovenian version next month :D
You make me feel hungry!
Thanks x
Burek is the fucking best food in Croatia, you cant remake Burek :D
My new brother in law is from Croatia and loves the food from his home..
Hi there! Your burek (photo) looks like typical burek made in Croatia. Burek in Bosnia is a bit different, And in Bosnia, there is no other burek but burek with meat. There is a story that, if you go to Sarajevo (capital of BiH) and order burek sa sirom (cheese burek) you will get burek (meat) and a piece of cheese. And do not worry for the pastry! :) It is easier, faster and with no big difference to buy it. Well, I have never tried to make it. Too risky; :) Well I talk and talk and talk… Sorry… Have a nice day :)
I have been I Sarajevo many times and I had burek sa sitcom/cheese.
I love Burek.
Se prasuvam dali mak I Cro burek Imaat ist recept!
Big fan of krumpir Burek
YESSSSSS
I naj bolje prija s jogurtom
cream goes in the cheese filling also :)
Oh yummmy
I’ve got an easy recipe…drive to Rockdale and purchase from Alexander’s Bakery! ?
Yes as common as a meat pie to the Aussie but healthy
& tastes so good.
oh to be able to walk through the streets of Zadar and have Burek from a street vendor.
I was born in Zadar, but my family is from Kukljica. I left when I was 5 (OMG! That was 60 years ago!) for America via France. I took my husband and 30 year old son last summer so they could see where I was born. We stayed at this wonderful Airbnb on Siroka Ulica and they tried burek for the first time and fell in love. Now I can attempt to make them my own! Puno ti hvala!
<3 Burek
It’s not easy!
A lovely little Croatian lady tried to show me how it was amazing how she stretched it out as thin as a bubble gum bubble!
But I was too clumsy, kept getting holes in it!
You sound like me :D
Chasing the Donkey Croatia my mother in law told me that she would get holes all the time, but it doesn’t matter because once you roll it up no one knows the difference and it still tastes good! If you are persistent you get better and better at it and also the oven settings made a difference…no fan just heat to get it crunchy
rosemary In burek?????Never!!!
Yet you do not know that Burek can only be with meat. Burek with cheese does not exist.
*rolls eyes*
Thank u for your excellent site. My dad was croatian but i was born in sydney. Tried my hand at making kipfel today. They turned out ok but never will match the wonderful cakes we ate as kids, made with love by the croatian ladies. Such great memories. They showed us that homemade is always best!
Ann
Hi Ann. You should try our kifle. Just like the ladies made. Those that have tried have said they are like old school. I tend to agree.
Now we know you are bosnian
This claim is a serious error on your part. Please learn about the original bureks called börek in their native Turkey. Burek with cheese is a regular kind of burek.
Agreed. As far as I know, only Serbia and Croatia have distinguishing names (ie sirnica for cheese, etc) everyone else there uses a name equivalent to “burek/borek with”- so it’s all burek with cheese, burek with meat, burek with whatever.
Any chance of pictures when u get to the pentagon instructions? Thank you
Got lost at the pentagon part too. My grandmother came over from Croatia, Zagreb, and never wrote the recipe down.
Well, I googled ‘burek’ hoping to find the Cretan recipe involving potatos and courgettes . . . But this page took me back to Athens forty years ago and revelling in burek filled with feta cheese, yoghurt or cottage cheese and rigani, I think Anyway, I made both the cheese version and the meat version (using lamb and diced carrot with dill) with store-bought filo I will admit, and they were wonderful even though I folded the filo wrongly and they leaked! Never mind, the recipients were happy and I’ll do it right next time.
Interesting to note that burek ranges across from Greece to Iran . . . and that samosas take over from there from Pakistan to Bangladesh.
Hi! I love your blog! I just wanted to let you know that pita and burek is not the same thing. Pita is only considered a burek if it has only meat in it. If it has anything else, it is only called pita. Just wanted to let you know. Keep doing such a great job!
Sorry, but you’re wrong. Burek comes from Turkey and means any food made from stretched dough and filled with meat, cheese, potatoes, apples and so on. Pita on the other hand also comes from Turkey and is food that is made from crumbled dough (prhko tijesto).
It is very nice of you for representation of Croatian kitchen but must tell you that the ” burek” is not from Croatia. It is from Bosnia. The ” burek ” is originaly from Turkey. Bosnia was under Ottoman empire for 400 years.
Best burek in Australia is in cringila a suburb of Wollongong, the burek shop on the hill, if your lucky enough to try a piece, not always open and when it is he is sold out by 7am if not earlier, by the way he is Macedonian and a legend for burek, nobody holds a candle to this man….simply the best, by the way I am not biased and not a macadonkey and I was born in Zadar and am Croatian
How nice of you to ‘approve’ Macedonian burek while calling them/us ‘macadonkeys’. Quit being racist.
don’t call us Macedonians that. You can’t say u like our food but call us names it’s racist shut up
It’s not from Bosnia, but from Turkey. It was imported to Bosnia as well as to Croatia.
ALL of the Balkans were under Ottoman rule, so you cannot say it came from Bosnia. It clearly is of Turkish origin and every country there has its own variation.
Ok, my second comment today.
Let’s agree that Burek is only meat.
Cheese is sirnica (sir – cheese).
Thanks.
That is false. Burek with cheese exists. It was invented in Turkey, where it’s called peynirli börek.
That’s just wrong. I am from Croatia, and where ever we go – Burek means Burek (with cheese). If we specifically want the meat one, we say Burek s mesom. Somewhere you can find with apples too…
I am from Croatia, and Burek is not Croatian dish. You could wrote, Burek on Croatian way.
Love your Blog.
I found your site while browsing recipes online (Burek looks fabulous). However, I have scrolled a few times from top to bottom and can’t find a pinterest link (other than for individual recipe), or a “follow” option to follow your blog. Croatia is one of my top 3 bucket list destinations. What would be the best way to get future information from your blog? It’s a beautiful site, much information, but no link to follow it. Thanks.
Have A Good Day
Lovely appetizing photos … Great work!
Screaming for some Vegeta with that Meat and potatoes Burek, we also keep it a bit more moist with a bit of water and sour cream
I am cooking this for my school project, and am so excited to try it out
This tastes like victory