Bosnian Burek Pastry (Printable)

Flaky phyllo filled with seasoned beef and spinach, baked to golden crispness for a hearty Balkan dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Filling

01 - 14 oz ground beef (80/20 lean-to-fat ratio recommended)
02 - 7 oz fresh spinach, washed and chopped
03 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tsp salt
06 - ½ tsp black pepper
07 - ½ tsp paprika (optional)

→ Pastry & Assembly

08 - 17–19 phyllo pastry sheets (approximately 500 g)
09 - 8.5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
10 - 3 tbsp vegetable oil

→ For Brushing & Serving

11 - 3 tbsp plain yogurt (optional)
12 - 1 tbsp water (for brushing)

# How To Make It:

01 - Set oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Combine ground beef, chopped spinach, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and optional paprika in a large bowl until well mixed.
03 - Melt unsalted butter and blend with vegetable oil in a small bowl.
04 - Place one phyllo sheet on a clean surface, brush lightly with the butter-oil mixture, then layer another sheet on top and brush again. Repeat to form a stack of 2 to 3 sheets.
05 - Spread a thin, even layer of the meat-spinach filling along one long edge of the phyllo stack, leaving a small border.
06 - Roll the phyllo stack tightly around the filling to form a long log.
07 - Gently coil the log into a spiral shape and place it on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with remaining filling and phyllo sheets to form one large or multiple smaller spirals.
08 - Generously brush the spirals' tops with the remaining butter-oil mixture.
09 - Mix plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of water and brush over the pastry to enhance crispness.
10 - Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.
11 - Allow to rest for 10 minutes, slice, and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The phyllo turns impossibly crisp on the outside while staying soft and buttery near the filling, giving you two textures in every bite.
  • It feeds a crowd without making you feel like youve been cooking all day, and leftovers taste even better the next morning.
  • You can make it your own by swapping the meat for cheese, potatoes, or whatever youve got sitting in the fridge.
02 -
  • If your phyllo tears, dont panic, just patch it with another piece and brush over it, no one will ever know once its baked.
  • Squeezing the spinach dry is the single most important step, because wet greens will turn your crisp pastry into a soggy disappointment.
  • Always brush between every phyllo layer, even when youre tired of it, because thats what creates the flaky, buttery separation that makes burek worth the effort.
03 -
  • Work with phyllo at room temperature, because cold sheets crack and warm ones stick, and the sweet spot is somewhere in between.
  • If youre nervous about rolling, practice with one sheet and no filling first, just to get the feel of it in your hands.
  • Brush the butter-oil in one direction, not back and forth, so you dont accidentally tear the delicate layers.
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