Gozleme!! Crispy, golden Turkish flatbreads stuffed with all sorts of tasty fillings. Choose from Spinach and Feta, or spiced Beef or Lamb. I want them all!
Like everybody’s favourite Easy Flatbreads recipe, the Gozleme pastry requires no yeast, just 3 ingredients (no yogurt) and is very easy to work with. You’re going to fall in love with this recipe!
Gozleme recipe
Weekend markets wouldn’t be the same without Turkish Gozleme stands. Sturdy Turkish Mamas with powerful arms rolling out the dough, and pretty young ladies front of house, smiling charmingly at customers.
Total stereotype there. But it’s a very effective marketing strategy!! 😂
If you’re new to Gozleme, all you need to know is this: they are olive oil flavoured flatbreads stuffed with all sorts of fillings. The most popular ones are Spinach and Feta, spiced ground lamb / beef (mince), and potato (carb on carb 👌🏻).
Pan fried until golden and crispy, then cut into grabbable-size pieces with lemon wedges on the side, there’s a reason why Gozleme stands often have the longest lines at weekend markets – because everybody loves them!!!
The Gozleme dough
Gozleme pastry is possible the easiest flatbread in the world because:
it’s traditionally made without yeast;
only requires 4 ingredients: flour, olive oil, salt and water
“dump and mix” job using a stand mixer or food processor
the dough is very easy to work with – easy to roll out (unlike rock hard fridge-cold Quiche pastry!), to pull and stretch into the shape that you want, and patch up accidental tears. 🙂
“If you’re new to making your own flatbreads, this is a great one to start with! The gozleme dough is very forgiving and easy to handle when rolling out.”
I typically make 4 Gozlemes from each batch of dough, though it can easily stretch to 5.
Gozleme Fillings
I’m sharing two fillings today:
Spinach and Feta, and
Lamb or Beef spiced ground meat filling. Though chicken, pork and turkey could be used too.
Just a note: I stuff my Gozleme way more generously than the Turkish Mamas at the Gozleme stands. I figure if we’re going to the effort of making our own, we shouldn’t skimp on fillings!!
Spinach and Feta Filling for Gozleme
The Spinach and Feta filling has nothing ground breaking in it. Egg for binding, garlic for flavour and pepper. (Ignore the salt in the photo, it’s not required!!)
The one little trick I’ve adopted over the years is to scrunch the spinach to wilt it down slightly. It makes it much easier to stuff the flatbread when the spinach is compacted down. Trying to enclose a huge pile of green fluffage with thin pastry is not fun.
Lamb or Beef Gozleme Filling
I told you I like to be generous with my fillings….. so while the traditional minced meat Gozleme usually has just a very thin scattering of meat with little more than a bit of onion, I like to fill mine out with all sorts of extras.
Increase the volume, more texture, add colour and more flavour!
Wrapping & cooking
Don’t be intimidated by this part! It’s really not difficult – and as I said, we’re working with a friendly dough here. The step photos below are fairly self explanatory, but here are a few tips:
Don’t make them too big – just because the Turkish Mamas at the gozleme stand make theirs the size of extra large pizzas, doesn’t mean you should! Large gozleme = difficult to transfer to skillet and flip. Remember, they’ve been doing it for 40 years….
Press out air pockets = no trapped heat ballooning = flatter = crispier
Transfer to skillet – slide onto a pizza paddle or similar, then slide into the skillet. Once cooked, it’s crisp enough to scoop up with a spatula – you’ll see in the recipe video!
Make sure they fit comfortably in the skillet! I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had half a gozleme hanging out of the pan…. 😂
Don’t skimp on oil – if you want the crispiest, most golden pastry, now is not the time to be counting calories! (Besides, remember that olive oil is better for you!)
Though traditionally served with lemon wedges, hand on heart, I have never used them. (And I’ve had my fair share of Gozleme in my life time!). They are great as they are, hot off the stove.
In my world, these are a summertime BBQ favourite. Terrific to cook these on the flat side of the BBQ – plus there’s more space than a skillet so you can cook multiple gozlemes at the same time.
And the extra bonus (because we all secretly love this part😈) – everyone is always so impressed. It’s just not something that most people think about making at home.
I’ve used the word “crisp” alot in this post. So I’m going to leave you with this image. Crispy crispy juicy stuffed Lamb Stuffed Gozleme.
Or – wait. Was it beef?? There’s been a lot of gozleme around here in recent weeks. So I’m not sure. But it doesn’t matter. BOTH are equally delicious!!~ Nagi x
Gozleme recipe
Watch how to make it
Note: I forgot to press record when putting water into the dough, oops! Follow written recipe below.
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Gozleme!!
Ingredients
Gozleme pastry:
- 2.5 cups (375g) flour , plain/all purpose (GF Note 4)
- 1/3 cup (85ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup (185ml) water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Choose ONE Filling (Note 1)
Spinach & Feta:
- 300g / 10oz baby spinach
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 300g / 10 oz Danish feta (soft feta, Note 2)
- 2 cups (200g) shredded mozzarella cheese (Note 3)
Spiced Lamb or Beef:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 500g / 1 lb beef or lamb mince (ground)
- 1 capsicum / bell pepper , chopped
- 90g / 3 oz baby spinach
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (adjust spiciness to taste)
- 3/4 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp water
- 120g / 4 oz Danish feta (Note 2)
Cooking / Serving:
- 1 – 1.5 tbsp olive oil , per gozleme
- Lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
Pastry:
- Fit stand mixer with dough hook. Combine flour, oil, salt and water in the stand mixer bowl. Mix for 2.5 minutes on medium high speed 7 until smooth (see video for before & after). (Note 4) Dough should be a pliable, smooth ball, not sticky.
- Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle work surface with flour. Cut dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll out into 35cm/14″ x 20cm/8″ rectangle.
Filling:
- Make EITHER the lamb / beef Filling, or Spinach & Feta (or make 1/2 batch of both!).
Lamb or Beef Filling:
- Heat oil in large skillet over high heat.
- Cook garlic and onion for 1 minute. Add capsicum, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add beef and cook until it changes from pink to brown, breaking it up as you go.
- Add cumin, paprika, cayenne (if using), salt, pepper and water. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add spinach, stir until wilted.
- Cool before using.
Spinach Feta Filling:
- Place spinach, garlic, egg and pepper in a bowl. Scrunch with hands to reduce volume and make spinach “floppy”.
- Add feta and stir through.
Making Gozleme:
- Spread Filling on half the pastry, pushing to the edge. Sprinkle Lamb/Beef Filling with crumbled feta. Sprinkle Spinach Feta with mozzarella cheese, if using.
- Fold other side of pastry over to cover Filling. Press down edges, pressing out excess air pockets trapped inside as you go. Use water if needed to seal well.
- Sprinkle flour on a round pizza paddle (or similar). Slide gozleme onto paddle.
Cooking:
- Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. (I usually get 2 pans going)
- Slide gozleme into skillet. Cook, lightly pressing down (including edges), until deep golden and crispy – about 3 minutes. Flip and cook, pressing down lightly, until crispy.
Serving:
- Transfer to cutting board. Cut into 6 or 8 pieces.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
- Cooked gozleme should be eaten asap while hot and crispy!
- Dough can be kept for 3 to 4 days in fridge
- Do not keep filled uncooked gozleme in fridge – inside sweats and makes underside of dough soggy
- Best way to keep warm while you keep cooking is in 120C/250F oven ON A RACK not on a baking tray (hot gozleme sweats and underside gets soggy)
- Cooked gozleme can be frozen or kept in fridge – cool, wrap, put in container
- Reheat either by pan frying or on tray in oven at 180C/350F for 7 minutes or so
Nutrition Information:
More tasty things stuffed between crispy bread
Life of Dozer
Dog treat. Everybody say together – “That’s sooooooo Asian!”
Half the reason I go to markets……..the other reason is Hungarian Langos (hint hint for a new recipe!!!)
So easy and delicious. Great to prep the filling in advance during a busy week.
Wow wow wow!!! My family loved this so much, I’ve forwarded the recipe page on to my relatives so they can share in the gozleme goodness. After buying gozleme for years, I finally found and made this recipe. I even doubled the dough so we could make and eat both fillings with more for the next day. The stretchy dough was amazing- I hand stretched it after rolling so thin I could see the wood grain of the board, the fillings were delicious.
Hi Nagi! I’ve made this recipe a few times but cant seem to perfect the dough 🙁 in the video, you didnt put water in the dough but the recipe says you do? I have been adding the water but for some reason no matter how long i knead the dough (by hand or mixer), it takes ageees to get smooth? Any tips? xxx
My dough is currently resting and I’ve added both water and oil. It doesn’t look exactly like Nagis but it should be workable though.
True! Is there water in it or not nagi? I can’t wait to make this my stomach is growling!
This is a fantastic recipe. The dough was easy to roll thin and it was so crispy and tasty when I cooked it – I used a non stick pan with no issues and filled the gozleme with leftover lamb (minced with a stick blender), fetta, frozen spinach, shredded zucchini and onion (all precooked in a pan). Absolutely delicious – making them again next weekend!
Absolutely a winner! Great Middle Eastern flavors and fun to make. We made the spiced lamb version. We wouldn’t change a thing with this recipe. We did make a quick Tzatziki sauce to go along with it. As always Nagi, you are wonderful! Thank you.
Hi dear 2 questions: can i use frozen spinach instead of fresh (assuming its defrosted and squeezed) and what can i use to transfer the flatbread onto the pan if i don’t have a pizza puddle? Will plate do? Thanks xx
This looks amazing, Nagi! This reminds me of Afghan bolani which is a thin, crispy flatbread traditionally stuffed with potatoes, cilantro, and green onion. Have you ever had it? This looks like it would be even better! I have a question, if I don’t have a stand mixer/food processor, can I make the dough
by hand? Should I need for a few minutes until smooth? Thanks so much, Nagi I can’t wait to try this.
Hi Lee, yes you can definitely do it by hand with a little elbow grease 🙂 N x
I’ve made both Quesadilla and Gozleme, and both taste great! I must say though, the smell of Gozleme when it’s done is just sooooo good, I had to hold back from salivating over it 😂
P.S. With lemon wedges mmm!
Thanks Nagi. As fellow gozleme lovers family enjoyed this for lunch today.
I would never have thought of making homemade gozleme before but I saw this recipe and you made it sound so easy. So I gave it a go and they turned out perfectly!
Nagi, your recipes have reignited my love for cooking! Any plans for a cookbook release?
That’s so great to hear Rachel! And I do have a cookbook on the cards soon! N x
Though this is shamefully my first comment, your blog is one I return to time and time again; not only have you never steered me wrong, but I really appreciate the detailed notes about substitutions, technique, storage, etc. that accompany each recipe.
And second, this was wonderful. I suspect I didn’t roll mine quite thin enough, but they were still delicious and beautifully crisped. I froze extras individually wrapped in foil and just popped the packets directly in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes and they reheated beautifully. Definitely making more soon!
Hi Nagi – thanks for sharing your recipes. The gozleme pastry is superb – just love it! You have opened my eyes to the variety of fillings and the potential. I’m a home-cook convert! Wishing you every good – Clare
That’s great Clare! N x
Hi there, if I don’t have a mixer with a dough hook what can I do/use? Just knead it til ready?
Yep! Just use a little elbow grease Jay – enjoy! N x
Soooo good! I did both, and made them vegetarian. For the spinach version (I used a mix of various green leaves), I omitted the mozzarella to make it a little healthier and used soy ground round for the meat. I pan fried them in very little oil, but they came out so delicious! I loved both, but hubby thought the soy version was too ‘meaty’ for his liking. Next time I’ll fix that issue with mixing some lentils and less soy. – But the soy is great for omnivores who are trying to eat more plant-based meals.
That’s great to hear Sabrina – I’m so glad you could customise them to suit! N x
Wow… I can’t believe that I have not commented on these yet! I have made the spinach and feta ones multiple times and they are so good. We love them. I keep saying I’m going to try the beef version…. ha… but still haven’t yet as I’m addicted to the spinach/feta ones. Lol
I had never heard of gozleme before… so thank you for introducing this wonderful food into my life!
I’m so glad you love them Darlana, the beef are just as good too! N x
I cant find any feta. What can I substitute it for
Hi Fritzie, you could use a mix of ricotta and parmesan for the saltiness – N x
I made this tonight and it was so delicious! Two were more than enough for three of us but plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I’m so happy you loved them Sue! N x
Can you use well drained frozen spinach instead of fresh?
My bread failed horribly but I rescued the spinich and cheese with dumping it in buttered noodles with cherry tomatoes. Maybe I will try again but the insides were great with noodles !