Cheese Bourekas (Israeli Puff Pastry)
Tags: #israeli #baking #pastry #vegetarian
Serving: 16 pieces
Total time: 70 minutes
Flaky, sesame-topped puff pastry triangles filled with a savory blend of salty cheeses, a beloved Israeli bakery classic.
Ingredients
- 500g puff pastry, cold
- 10g plain flour, for dusting
Filling:
- 200g Bulgarian or feta cheese, crumbled
- 180g ricotta cheese, drained
- 60g kashkaval or low-moisture mozzarella, grated
- 1 large egg (50g), beaten
- 10g cornstarch
- 8g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1g ground black pepper
Finish:
- 1 large egg (50g)
- 15ml water
- 10ml water, for sealing
- 20g sesame seeds
- 5g nigella seeds (optional)
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve for 10 minutes.
- Whisk 1 egg (50g) until smooth for the filling.
- Combine the feta, drained ricotta, and kashkaval in a mixing bowl.
- Stir the beaten egg into the cheese mixture.
- Add the cornstarch, pepper, and parsley to the bowl.
- Mix the filling until cohesive.
- Dust the work surface with 10g flour.
- Roll the puff pastry to a 40cm x 40cm square.
- Cut the pastry into sixteen 10cm x 10cm squares.
- Spoon 20–25g filling onto the center of each square.
- Brush the edges of each square with 10ml water.
- Fold each square diagonally to form a triangle.
- Press the edges firmly to seal.
- Crimp the edges with a fork.
- Place the triangles on the prepared baking sheets, spaced 3cm apart.
- Refrigerate the trays for 20 minutes.
- Beat 1 egg (50g) with 15ml water to make an egg wash.
- Brush the tops of the bourekas with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds and nigella seeds over the tops.
- Cut a small 5mm slit on top of each boureka to vent steam.
- Bake the bourekas until deep golden and puffed, 22–25 minutes.
- Cool the bourekas on the tray for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the bourekas to a rack to cool for 10 minutes.