Turkish Gözleme

Oh boy! I was under this great misconception that I somewhat mastered the art of rolling flatbreads until I saw this video. I was exploring some European flatbreads and in the quest, came across this amazing video where a skilled and experienced Turkish woman is rolling out humongous sized gozlemes effortlessly. Gozleme is a savory and stuffed, griddle bread from Turkey prepared from hand-rolled dough. The traditional gozleme making requires a long, thin rolling pin and a large griddle. The name 'gozleme' is derived from the Turkish word 'göz' meaning compartment, referring to the pocket of the dough where the stuffing is sealed and cooked. The stuffing that goes inside these popular Turkish breads can range anywhere from vegetables, cheeses to meats.

I couldn't make gozlemes in the traditional size as neither I had the required tools nor the expertise to nail them. Gozlemes can be prepared in two shapes - a crescent shaped one or like a stuffed envelope. I used the spinach-cheese filling to make my gozlemes, in a mini size and made in both shapes. My gozleme experience is telling me that crescent shaped one is the ideal one for uniform toasting. The envelope shaped ones need extra time for getting uniformly toasted. I wasn't sure whether they were toasted properly inside or not and so toasted them again to just make sure. I cut gozlemes into strips, held them with tongs and toasted them on all sides including the edges.We enjoyed these yummy gozlemes with ketchup.
 
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium sized onions, finely minced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used paneer instead.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil to toast gozleme

Preparation of dough:
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water in small increments to the flour mixture and prepare a soft, pliable dough. (I added a little less than 1/2 cup water.) Gently knead it for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough and keep it aside for about 15 - 30 minutes. (Gozleme dough doesn't include any oil but I added a tsp. of it.)

Preparation of filling:
Heat oil and add minced onion. Fry until onion softens and add spinach. Cook until spinach wilts and the rawness is gone. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Next add the crumbled cheese, give it a stir and turn off the stove. Let the filling cool a bit.

Method:
* Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll them into discs between your palms. Work with one disc at a time and keep the rest covered. Roll it thin into a rectangle or in a circular shape. Dust with flour if necessary.

* Place about 2-3 tbsp. of filling at the middle of the rectangle. (I used more filling than showed in the picture.)

* Fold the opposite sides to cover the filling.

* Then fold the remaining sides to cover up the filling and form an envelope. Gently press with fingertips to seal properly.

* If the dough disc was rolled out into a circle, place about 1/4 cup of the filling on one half of the circle. Then fold the other half over it. Seal the edges using your finger tips and gently pat the whole crescent shaped gozleme.

* Heat a skillet and place the rolled dough square or crescent on it. Cook on low flame, drizzling with oil / butter until brown spots appear on both sides. (I cut them into strips and toasted them again. I held the pieces with tongs and toasted on all sides to make sure that gozlemes are properly cooked.)

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "International FlatBreads". Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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