Burek

Instructions

1. 1 Brown the ground beef in a skillet over high heat, breaking it into fine crumbles as it cooks. Add the diced onions, paprika, and allspice, cooking for five more minutes until the onions are soft. Season well with salt and pepper, then let the filling cool completely.
2. 2 Preheat the oven to 200C (390F). Brush a large round baking pan (about 35cm diameter) generously with oil. Lay out three sheets of phyllo dough on a clean surface, overlapping them slightly along the long edges to create one wide rectangle.
3. 3 Brush the phyllo generously with the oil-water mixture. Spread a thin line of the cooled meat filling along one long edge of the layered phyllo sheets, leaving a two-centimetre border at each short end.
4. 4 Roll the phyllo around the filling into a long, tight log, tucking the ends under as you go. Starting from one end, coil the log into a spiral shape, like a snail shell. Place this coil in the centre of the oiled baking pan.
5. 5 Repeat the process with the remaining phyllo sheets and filling, creating more logs and continuing the spiral outward from the centre coil until the entire pan is filled with one large continuous spiral of meat-filled phyllo.
6. 6 Brush the top of the entire spiral generously with the oil-water mixture, ensuring every exposed surface is coated. This creates the characteristic shatteringly crispy, flaky exterior that defines a well-made burek.
7. 7 Bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes until the phyllo is deep golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and immediately drape a clean tea towel over the pan for five minutes — the steam softens the top layer slightly while the base stays crispy.
8. 8 Cut the burek into wedge-shaped portions and serve warm with a generous bowl of cold plain yogurt on the side. In Bosnia, burek is traditionally eaten for breakfast or as a hearty mid-morning snack with strong Bosnian coffee.