Laz börek (or Laz böreği in Turkish) is a typical dessert from the Black Sea in Turkey. Turkish börek is usually made with cheese, potatoes, meat, spinach…. Almost everything. But the Laz, a peculiar people of Caucasian origin who live in the eastern part of the Black Sea, are the only ones who prepare börek filled with sugar cream, hence the special name of the börek.
The Laz prepare their börek mainly for special events, such as weddings and important feasts, although they can easily find any other excuse to enjoy it. It is usually served with black pepper. It is a very traditional and curious dish that is famous not only in the Black Sea, but all over Turkey.
Ingredients for 16 people
For the dough
- 500 g flour
- 125 g butter (melt and leave to cool)
- 2 eggs
- 3 natural yoghurts
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the cream
- 6 glasses of milk
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons water
- 8 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or cinnamon
To roll out the dough
- 1 cup cornstarch
To pour on top
- 250 g butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preparation
To prepare the dough, melt 125 grams of butter and let it cool. Then, mix the butter with the egg, the yoghurt, the baking powder and the salt, mix it all well and once ready, add the flour little by little. Mix the dough well and leave it to rest for about 20 minutes.
To make the cream, put the cornstarch and flour in a bowl with 4 tablespoons of water, and flatten the dough with a spoon so that it mixes well. Once it is homogeneous, add the sugar and milk, little by little, and beat it all with a mixer. Then heat the mixture over a low heat, stir until the cream thickens and add the vanilla or cinnamon; keep it on the heat for another 2 minutes and then remove it from the heat and leave it to cool.
Now heat the 250 grams of butter and allow it to cool. Take the dough that we had prepared at the beginning and separate it into about 40 portions; knead and roll them out with a rolling pin, adding starch, until each portion forms a thin layer as thick as a piece of paper. Prepare a baking tray – previously greased with a little butter – and, using half of the portions (20), spread them evenly on the tray, alternating a teaspoon of butter between each portion and spreading it on top. When you have finished with these 20, add and spread the cream, and place the other 20 layers on top, repeating the same operation. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
Cut the börek into squares with a knife and spread the remaining melted butter on top. Bake it in the oven for 40 minutes at 180 ºC, and once it is ready, wait for it to cool a little and sprinkle the cinnamon and icing sugar on top.
Now it’s ready to serve!
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Funda is a master of Turkish cuisine. Her cooking skills have led her to participate in all kinds of contests and competitions, and she has won numerous awards for her recipes. If you try one of her dishes… Say goodbye to your diet!
