You have got to try this delicious spinach and feta gozleme (flatbreads). Crispy skin, soft bread, and a wonderful combo of spinach and feta cheese as filling. They are easy to make, and are also freezer-friendly! A must-make for flatbread lovers!
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What Is Gozleme?
Gozleme is a Turkish flatbread that has various types of fillings. They can be minced meat, veggies, mashed potato, or spinach and cheese. A similar concept to our delicious Lebanese flatbread (Man'oushe za'atar), which is also known as Lebanese pizza.
The dough is very basic and can be done with or without a leavening agent (yeast). And even if you're using yeast, the dough is also known for not using any sugar, in any form, not even just a bit to help activate the yeast.
Gozleme comes from the word "goz" in Turkish which means "compartments". It refers to the pocket structure of the flatbread.
These flatbreads are a common snack and street food among the Turks. And I can see why because they are so delicious!
Recipe Highlights
Texture and flavor - Soft bread with crispy skin, filled with spinach and feta cheese. Serve with some squeezes of lemon juice on top and we're talking about another level here
Level - Easy with time to kill while the dough is rising
Size - 6 pieces
Occasion - share this spinach and feta gozleme as a snack with family and friends, or when you want to impress a bread lover
Lets Talk Ingredients
Bread flour - use it and you'll see why. I don't recommend all-purpose flour as it has low protein content, less gluten will be developed and also the liquid ratio is different. So the texture will be different.
Spinach - Frozen is better for this. You can use fresh spinach but then first you'd have to blanch it, drain it, and then chop.
If you like to cook with spinach, then you'll love our spinach ricotta pie also known as pascualina.
Yogurt - I like to use plain Greek yogurt but full-fat or skimmed yogurt also works fine.
Feta cheese - is what makes the filling unique and delicious. If you can't find it, simply use your favorite cheese instead. Cheddar? Goat cheese? Just mozzarella? Why not?
Chilli flakes and garlic powder - optional. I like to use them, they help with the flavor. You can flavor the filling the way you like, no problem at all.
Can I Freeze Them?
Yes, you can.
What I do is cook them all, let them cool completely, and then wrap each piece in a cling wrap. Then place them in a ziploc bag and into the freezer they go.
Thaw at room temperature. Then simply bring them back to life by toasting them in a pan or place in the oven at 350ºF (175ºC) for a few minutes.
More Flatbread Recipes
- Malaysian-style flatbread (roti canai)
- Malaysian-style flatbread with filling (murtabak)
- Lebanese flatbread with za'atar
- Chicken murtabak flatbreads
Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Spinach and Feta Gozleme
Video
Ingredients
The Bread
- 1 cup warm water (250 ml)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon dry yeast (7 g)
- 3 cup bread flour (390 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon yogurt (30 g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
The Filling
- 14 oz frozen spinach (400 g)
- 1 onion , finely diced
- 7 oz feta cheese (200 g)
- 3.5 oz shredded mozzarella (100 g)
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
The Bread
- Mix dry yeast with warm water and leave for 3-5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- In a standing mixer bowl, add in the rest of the bread ingredients including yeast mixture. Mix to incorporate and then knead for 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl and cover it tightly with a cling film. Leave until the dough rises double its size.
The Filling
- Thaw the spinach and squeeze out the water. Then chop into small pieces. Put the spinach in a bowl together with the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well and set aside. TIP: Divide the filling into 6 so that you get equal filling for each bread.
Assembling And Cooking
- Place the risen dough on a lightly floured working surface. Lightly knead into a log and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball.
- Take one ball and roll it into a very thin square, around 10 inch (25 cm). Place some filling in the center and spread evenly, leaving around 2 inch (5 cm) empty space all around.
- Fold each side to the center, making sure you cover the filling completely. Cook in hot pan with some oil for 3 minutes on each side (or until golden brown). Brush with some oil before flipping the bread.
- Meanwhile continue with the rest of the balls, cooking them as you go. Cover the cooked gozleme with a kitchen cloth to maintain them warm. Cut and enjoy!
Originally published on Oct 14, 2018. Updated with improved text, recipe and pictures on Mar 29, 2021.
Kristal says
Hi Bea, sorry to ask silly questions again could I use flat bread of filo pastry instead?
Bea says
Hi Kristal! I haven't tried it with filo pastry so I can't really say, sorry!
Sonakshi says
Can we bake it also. ?? If yes , how ??
Bea says
I haven't tried baking it so I can't really say, sorry!
Andrea G. says
Ooh, these were so good. Everybody loved them. Hopefully with practice, I’ll be able to make them as thin as you have. My early ones were thick but, of course, still very tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Bea says
Happy to know that you loved them Andrea! I know some gozlemes are even thinner than mines but at the end as long as they're good, it's totally fine, right? Thank you!
Sophia says
Hi Bea,
Thank you for the delicious recipe! I’ve made the dough and it’s already doubled in size, but it’s not dinner time yet. Should I keep the dough in the fridge until I’m ready to use it?
Also for future reference, can you refrigerate or freeze the dough for future use?
And one last thing, is this bread still as good if you reheat the final product the next day?
Thank you!
Bea says
Hi Sophia! Yes, keep it in the fridge. What I do is cook them all and then freeze. Hope it helps!
Sophia says
These came out absolutely amazing! Thank you 😊
Aaron Poyner says
I never rate these things.
But it's good and ez to follow.
Took maybe an hour start to finish. But you can pre make the dough freeze.
10/10
I used more salt on the second go in the dough and filling.
Bea says
Awesome Aaron, glad to know that you liked it. Thank you for your feedback!
Carol says
It’s easy to make and delicious. As Bea says, you can fill it with whatever you want. I love spinach and cheese, but the second time I made it I added prosciutto. I will experiment with other fillings too. Great recipe.
Bea says
Awesome Carol! Proscuitto sounds great, thank you for your feedback!
Sweet Potato Sunday says
Great recipe, easy to follow and tasted good!
Bea says
I'm happy to know that you liked it, thank you!
Ioana Camelia says
Just made them and ate two in a minute, delicious! Perfect dough, really makes the difference! Fresh garlic instead of powder and no chilli; as you mentioned already, fill them with whatever you like.
Bea says
Haha! And yes, the filling is whatever we desire! Thank you so much Ioana!
Christopher G. Byers says
Nutritional info?
SIMY says
HELLO CAN I FREEZE THE DOUGHT
Marta Om Samir says
Amazing recipe! Cooking gozleme for today’s iftar. Ramadan 2020 Mubarak !
Bea says
Awesome! Happy ramadan to you Marta! Thank you!
Afshan says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I made it twice and also today I’m going to make it for Iftar( breaking fast meal)!
I had a question, If I have extra can I refrigerate half of the dough to make next day ?
Thanks again..
Fehmida says
Assalmualaikum Afshan...I'm no expert...but have saved my extra dough for the next day. Makes a good iftaar meal as it is light.
Rex says
What an inspiring new approach (for us) to bread, and what fun while we are on 24 hour lockdown in Saudi. My calzones have been too 'bready' and this is much easier than spanakopita. And as you say, so flexible on the fillings. Our next batch will be with ground chicken, cheese and herbs. Thank you!
Jean says
We use to buy this type of food in the streets of Riyadh when we worked there ,,love this food
Jenny says
Wow! This was SO delicious! We didn’t have Greek yogurt, so I used cream cheese for my initial trial, and the dough came together perfectly. Can’t wait to try it with yogurt next! Thank you so much for sharing! Delish!
Bea says
Hey that's great! Thank you for your feedback and sharing your take on it. I'm glad that you liked it 😍
Marie b says
These look amazing. ? Can you bake them in the oven.?
Bea says
Thanks Marie! I always cook them on the stove but I'm thinking yes why not. They might puff up a tad differently but hey, if you don't mind so.. 😉
Linda says
The best dough I have made, in the filling I would only put half the chilli as it overpowers the taste. I would use fresh garlic instead of the powder, and a bit of lemon juice. We really enjoyed these and I would make them again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Bea says
Hi Linda! I'm happy to know that it turned out great for you. Yes, adjust the filling to your likings with no problem. Thank you so much!
Nasam says
I had gozleme once and it was thinner. Besides that yours is as tasty. Good job. Thank you.
Bea says
Hi Nasam. Yes you can roll it your preference thickness, no problem at all. Thank you! 🙂