Description
Gozleme is a traditional Turkish flatbread made from a simple yeast dough, rolled thin and filled with a variety of fillings, then cooked on a hotplate or griddle until golden and crispy. This recipe guides you through making the dough, rolling it out thin, folding for elasticity, adding fillings, and cooking the gozleme to perfection for a delicious, crispy, and savory flatbread perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 – 4 cups (300 g – 400 g) All-purpose flour, plain
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 & 1/4 cups (300 ml) warm water
- 1 sachet (8 g) yeast
- 1 & 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Optional Fillings
- Cheese (e.g., feta, mozzarella, or Turkish white cheese)
- Spinach or other greens
- Ground meat (lamb or beef), cooked and seasoned
- Potatoes, cooked and mashed
- Herbs such as parsley or dill
Instructions
- Prepare yeast mixture: Add warm water (not too hot, so you can comfortably put your finger in it), yeast, and sugar into a jug. Leave it in a warm spot until frothy—this will take between 10 to 30 minutes depending on the environment.
- Combine dry ingredients: Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Start with 3 cups of flour and add more later if needed.
- Mix dough: When the yeast mixture is frothy, add it to the flour mixture. Using a mixer with a dough hook on a slow setting, combine ingredients until mixed.
- Knead dough: Increase mixer speed to medium (around 5) and knead for 10 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl; add extra flour in tablespoons if too sticky.
- Divide and proof dough: Dust your hands with flour, remove dough, and divide into 6-8 even balls. Place on a lightly greased baking tin, cover with cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 20 minutes).
- Roll out dough: Roll each dough ball out very thin (a couple of millimeters) on a floured surface, chopping board, or greaseproof paper for easy transfer. Shape into a rectangle.
- Fold and roll dough: Lightly brush with oil, fold the left and right sides to the center, rotate 90 degrees, roll out again, fold once more, then roll out to a final rectangle. This makes the dough lighter and more elastic. (Skip folding if you want a crisper, less bouncy texture.)
- Add fillings: Brush the dough surface with oil. Spread your chosen filling over half of the dough evenly, then fold the empty half over the filling. Pinch edges to seal, and brush the surface with oil.
- Cook on hotplate: Preheat a hotplate or griddle. Using a chopping board or greaseproof paper, transfer the filled gozleme onto the hotplate with the oiled side down. Lightly brush the top side with oil.
- Flip and finish cooking: When the underside is golden brown, carefully flip the gozleme using a fish slice or spatula to cook the other side until golden.
- Serve: Once cooked through and golden on both sides, remove from the hotplate. Repeat for remaining dough balls and serve warm.
Notes
- Water temperature is crucial for yeast activation—warm, not hot.
- Use greaseproof paper or a chopping board to roll dough for easy transfer to the hotplate.
- Folding the dough before cooking creates a lighter, more elastic texture.
- If you prefer a crispier flatbread with less bounce, skip the folding steps.
- Fillings can be customized with meats, cheeses, or vegetables.
- If dough feels sticky during kneading, add flour gradually to adjust consistency.
- Allow dough to properly rise to ensure soft, fluffy flatbreads.
