Turkey · Across Turkey

Spinach and White Cheese Gözleme

Supple dough is rolled nearly translucent, filled with dry spinach, softened onion and crumbly white cheese, then cooked on a griddle until spotted and flexible.

Thin Turkish griddle breads Filled flatbread
Share
Close view of golden-spotted gözleme filled with spinach and white cheese
A dry griddle creates toasted spots; butter is brushed on only after the first turn.
Prep 45 minutes
Rest 30 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Makes 8 gözleme
Ingredients ↓
Overview

How to Make Thin Gözleme with Spinach and White Cheese

Gözleme is a Turkish griddle bread with many possible fillings, from potato and minced meat to herbs and cheese. The three supplied images show spinach and white cheese, so this recipe stays with that version throughout. It does not offer several incompatible fillings under one set of cooking instructions. The moisture and timing are calibrated specifically for raw spinach, onion and crumbly brined cheese.

The dough is simple and lightly enriched with milk. It contains no yeast, so its tenderness comes from hydration, kneading and a full rest rather than fermentation. Thirty minutes allows the gluten to relax enough for each ball to roll to roughly one millimetre. Flour the bench lightly and rotate the round often; excess flour burns on the griddle and leaves a dusty surface.

Spinach is the main technical challenge. Washed leaves must be dried thoroughly because trapped water turns to steam, weakens the seam and makes the interior soggy. Finely diced onion is rubbed with salt until it softens and releases some juice, then combined with spinach just before filling. That brief massage reduces the volume without precooking the greens. Cheese goes in last so its salt can be judged before additional seasoning.

Traditional white cheese is tangy, crumbly and brined. Feta is the most accessible substitute, but varieties differ greatly in salt and moisture. Drain a wet block, crumble it coarsely and taste the filling before adding any more salt. The cheese should remain in visible pieces after cooking rather than melting into an oily layer.

Gözleme cooks on a saç or griddle, not in a pool of oil. Start on a dry, evenly heated surface. Once the first side sets and develops spots, turn and brush the cooked side lightly with butter or olive oil. Repeated turning gives the raw spinach time to wilt while protecting the thin dough. Keep finished breads covered briefly so they remain flexible, and serve with lemon, tomato, cucumber or ayran.

Practical

Practical

  • Dry spinach in two stagesA spinner removes most wash water; towels remove the film left on crinkled leaves and stems. Skipping the second stage is the most common cause of leaking filling.
  • Rest dough instead of forcing itIf a round repeatedly shrinks, cover it for 10 more minutes. Adding flour or pressing harder produces a tough bread, while time relaxes gluten without changing hydration.
  • Fill only immediately before cookingSalt, onion and cheese continue drawing moisture from spinach. Roll one piece, fill it and move it to the hot griddle rather than assembling all eight in advance.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Dough

  • 500 g plain flour plus extra for rolling
  • 285 ml lukewarm water
  • 60 ml whole milk
  • 8 g fine salt divided

Spinach and cheese filling

  • 500 g mature spinach washed and dried thoroughly
  • 180 g onion very finely diced
  • 250 g Turkish white cheese or feta drained and crumbled
  • 4 g pul biber
  • 2 g black pepper

For finishing

  • 60 g melted butter or olive oil
Directions

Directions

Make and rest the dough

  1. Mix a soft dough.Combine flour with water, milk and 6 g of the salt. Knead for 7-9 minutes until smooth, adding only a dusting of flour if it remains unmanageably sticky.

    The dough feels supple and soft, cleans the bowl and stretches without rough tears.

  2. Divide and relax.Divide into eight equal balls, smooth their surfaces and cover tightly. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while preparing the filling.

    A rested ball flattens easily and does not pull back strongly under the rolling pin.

Prepare the filling

  1. Dry and chop the spinach.Wash spinach thoroughly, spin it dry and spread it on towels until no surface water remains. Remove very thick stems and chop the leaves into 1-2 cm ribbons.

    A handful squeezed over the sink releases no drops of wash water.

  2. Soften the onion with salt.Mix finely diced onion with the remaining 2 g salt and rub it between your fingers for 1-2 minutes. Let it stand 5 minutes, then squeeze away obvious excess juice.

    The onion is flexible, glossy and less sharply raw without becoming a wet purée.

  3. Combine only when ready to roll.Toss spinach with onion, pul biber and black pepper. Fold in crumbled white cheese last, breaking up only very large pieces. Taste before adding any extra salt.

    The filling is lightly wilted but still fluffy, with no liquid pooling at the bottom.

Roll and fill

  1. Roll nearly translucent dough.Lightly flour one ball and roll, turning it often, into a round or oval about 1 mm thick and 30-35 cm across. Brush away loose flour.

    The outline of your hand is faintly visible through the dough, but there are no thin holes.

  2. Fill one half evenly.Spread one eighth of the filling over half the dough, leaving a clean 2 cm border. Keep cheese pieces away from the edge so they cannot cut through the seam.

    The layer is even and low, without a central mound that would leave raw dough around it.

  3. Expel air and seal.Fold the empty half over the filling. Press from the fold toward the edge to push out trapped air, then seal the border firmly with fingertips and trim only if badly uneven.

    The parcel lies flat, has no air balloon and the seam remains clean and dry.

Griddle and serve

  1. Set the first side dry.Heat the griddle over medium-high until a water droplet dances and evaporates. Lay on one gözleme without oil and cook for about 1 minute.

    The underside develops scattered golden spots and the top loses its raw wet appearance.

  2. Turn, brush and cook through.Flip, brush the cooked side lightly with butter, and continue for 3-4 minutes, turning every minute and brushing the second side after it sets.

    Both sides show brown spots, the spinach is wilted, the cheese is hot and the bread remains flexible.

  3. Keep warm without steaming heavily.Transfer to a tray and cover loosely with a clean towel while cooking the rest. Wipe away burned flour between breads and adjust the heat if spots turn black too quickly.

    Finished gözleme bend easily and stay dry rather than wet under the towel.
Practical

Practical

Moderate the griddle after the first bread

Cast iron stores heat and can become progressively hotter. If spots blacken before the spinach wilts, reduce the burner slightly and extend cooking with more frequent turns.

Brush, do not fry

A thin film of butter softens and flavours the cooked surface. Oil pooled under raw dough creates patchy frying and prevents the dry toasted spots associated with gözleme.

Control points

Control points

  • The filling leaks through the seam. Spinach was wet, the border was contaminated or trapped air expanded. Dry thoroughly, keep a clean rim and press air out before sealing.
  • The dough tears while rolling. It needs more kneading or rest, or a dry skin formed. Keep balls covered and let tight dough relax.
  • The outside burns before spinach wilts. The griddle is too hot or the filling too thick. Lower heat, spread a thinner layer and turn more frequently.
  • The finished bread is tough. Too much bench flour, thick rolling or prolonged low-heat cooking dried it out. Roll thinner and cook on a properly heated surface.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories380 kcal
  • Protein14 g
  • Carbohydrates52 g
  • Fat13 g
  • Saturated fat7 g
  • Fiber4 g
  • Sugars3 g
  • Sodium760 mg

1 filled gözleme — Approximate values per gözleme; cheese salt, flour used for rolling and finishing butter affect the result.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Wheat/gluten, Milk

Food safety: Wash spinach thoroughly and dry it before filling. Use pasteurized white cheese or feta for higher-risk diners. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours and reheat until the filling is steaming hot.

Storage: Refrigerate between parchment in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat on a dry griddle over medium heat until hot and flexible.

FAQ

FAQ

Does gözleme dough contain yeast?

Many versions are unleavened, including this one. Kneading and a 30-minute rest provide extensibility without puffing the bread.

Can I use baby spinach?

Yes. It needs less stem trimming and wilts quickly, but it must still be washed and dried thoroughly. Mature spinach gives a fuller flavour.

What cheese is closest to Turkish white cheese?

A firm, brined full-fat feta is the most practical substitute. Drain it well and taste before adding salt because brands vary.

Can I freeze uncooked gözleme?

Cooked gözleme freeze more reliably. Raw spinach continues releasing water during thawing, which weakens the seam and makes the bread soggy.

What matters most

What matters most

Thin, flexible bread with toasted spots around a hot, savoury filling of wilted spinach and distinct white cheese.

Dry the spinach, rest the dough, roll to 1 mm, keep the border clean, expel air and cook on a dry griddle before brushing.

Explore the recipes

Turkey National Food

Open →
Layered Turkish güllaç dessert in a white baking dish with pomegranate garnish
Turkey National Food

Güllaç (Turkish Milk and Pomegranate Dessert)

Paper-thin güllaç sheets absorb warm sweetened milk around a walnut centre, then set into cool, delicate squares under pistachios and ruby pomegranate.

Open →
Turkish hamsi tava piled on a platter with lemon wedges
Turkey National Food

Hamsi Tava (Turkish Pan-Fried Anchovies)

Small anchovies become crisp outside and succulent within when they are dried carefully, dusted lightly with cornmeal and turned as one neat panful.

Open →
Anchovy-wrapped Turkish rice pilaf cut to reveal its filling
Turkey National Food

Hamsili Pilav (Anchovy-Wrapped Rice Pilaf)

A fragrant rice pilaf disappears inside overlapping anchovy fillets, emerging from the oven as a burnished round that cuts into savoury wedges.

Open →