Byrek

Ingredients

Petë (pastry)

• 500 gstrong white flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 280 mlwarm water
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar
• cornflour, for stretching

Spinach and cheese filling

• 900 gspinach, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 tspsalt
• 300 ggjizë or drained ricotta
• 200 gfeta, crumbled
• 1 bunchspring onions, sliced
• 2eggs, beaten
• black pepper

To assemble

• 150 mlolive oil, mixed with 50 g melted butter
• 1egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Knead flour, salt, water, oil and vinegar 10 minutes to a very elastic dough, divide into 8 balls, oil them and rest covered for 1 hour. The vinegar relaxes the gluten so the sheets stretch without holes.
2. Salt the spinach and scrunch it with your hands for a minute, leave 15 minutes, then squeeze out every drop of water. Mix with the cheeses, spring onion, eggs and plenty of pepper.
3. On a large cloth dusted with cornflour, roll one ball out, then stretch it over the backs of your hands and pull from underneath until it is translucent and you can read print through it, roughly 50 cm across.
4. Brush a 30 cm round tin generously with the oil and butter and lay in a sheet, letting the edges hang over. Repeat with three more sheets, brushing fat between each.
5. Spread the filling evenly, fold in the overhanging edges, then top with the remaining four stretched sheets, brushing fat between each and crumpling the top sheet slightly so it bakes into ridges.
6. Trim the rim, tuck it down the sides, and score the top layers into portions with a sharp knife, cutting only through the pastry, not the filling.
7. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle a few drops of water over the surface to help it blister.
8. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 50–60 minutes until deep gold and audibly crisp when tapped. Rest 15 minutes before cutting so the filling sets.

Technique

• Byrek lives or dies on the wetness of the filling. Any spinach water left in turns the bottom sheets to paste.
• Real petë is stretched by hand, not rolled; hand-stretched sheets are uneven, and those thick and thin patches are what give byrek its shattering, layered bite.
• Albanian bakers brush with oil rather than butter alone, because butter alone burns before the middle layers cook through.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought filo works: use 12 sheets, four below and eight above, and brush every one with the oil-butter mix.
• Gjizë is a fresh whey curd; ricotta plus a little sour cream gives the closest texture and tang.

Variations

• Byrek me mish, filled with minced beef and onion browned with paprika.
• Byrek me presh, with sliced leeks sweated slowly in olive oil.
• Byrek me kungull, the autumn pumpkin one, faintly sweetened.

History

Layered pastry with cheese, spinach or meat, made with hand-stretched petë and sold from bakeries all day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Byrek?

Byrek is a bread & pastry from Albania: flaky phyllo pie with spinach, cheese or meat. Layered pastry with cheese, spinach or meat, made with hand-stretched petë and sold from bakeries all day.

How long does Byrek take to make?

Byrek takes 50 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Byrek?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought filo works: use 12 sheets, four below and eight above, and brush every one with the oil-butter mix. Gjizë is a fresh whey curd; ricotta plus a little sour cream gives the closest texture and tang.

What is the most important thing to get right in Byrek?

Albanian bakers brush with oil rather than butter alone, because butter alone burns before the middle layers cook through.