Peynirli Sarma Börek | Jale's Turkish Delights

Rolled Pastry with Cheese

12 sheets Phyllo Dough*
8 oz. Feta Cheese
4 Sprigs Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped
Sesame Seeds or Nigella Seeds

Sauce Ingredients:

1 Egg & 1 Egg Yolk
2-3 T. Butter, melted
2-3 T. Olive Oil
½ c. Milk

* Phyllo Dough can be bought frozen, but should be thawed out to make this. However, as soon as it is exposed to the air it will begin to dry out and get brittle. It’s best to keep it in the packaging or under a slightly damp (not soggy) paper towel until the moment you use each sheet of dough.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Egg, Butter, Olive Oil and Milk. Set aside. (Reserve the extra Egg Yolk for the end.)
In another small bowl, mix together the Feta Cheese and Parsley. Set aside.
Pour some Olive Oil in the bottom of a round 10-inch Cake pan to grease the bottom. Set aside.
Layer 4 sheets of Phyllo Dough onto the counter. Brush lightly with the Sauce until the Dough is completely covered.
Fill your hand with some of the Cheese mixture and spread along the longest edge of the Dough in a log shape, stopping just shy of each end. Fold in each end of the Dough just slightly over the Cheese. (This will ensure that the cheese doesn’t spill out the ends as you roll it up.)
Carefully grasp the Dough under the Cheese log and roll it up until you have a long, fairly thin roll of dough stuffed with cheese.
Place one end in the very center of the greased pan and curl the roll of stuffed Dough around in a circle.
Repeat this process (steps 4-6) 3 more times. Each new roll will begin where the previous one ended and continue making the circle bigger until the entire pan is full.
Whisk the extra Egg Yolk into the remaining Sauce mixture. Pour on top of the pan of raw swirled pastry. Be sure entire pastry is covered with Sauce mixture. (Any dry areas still exposed will not bake properly but burn and flake off.)
Sprinkle Sesame Seeds or Nigella Seeds on top.
Cover with Plastic Wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
Remove the Plastic Wrap and place in a cold oven. Heat to 350^o Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.
This pastry is delicious served hot and steamy, but can also be served at room temperature. It can be saved in the refrigerator and warmed to serve as yummy left-overs too.

Note: I think the best Sarma Börek is with Spinach and Feta. They are written as separate recipes on this site as that is commonly how Turks make them. To combine them, simply omit the Parsley on this cheese recipe and add the cooked spinach/onion mixture as in the Ispanaklı Sarma Börek recipe. The step-by-step pictures show the combination recipe. So delicious!

Everything ready to begin rolling (note: in Turkey the dough comes in a circle and is a bit thicker as shown in these pictures. The recipe is correct for American ingredients.)