Lepa Flaiban shares how to make delicious Balkan cheese burek the easy way

7NEWS

14-07-2025

Lepa Flaiban is the owner of Burek On Wheels.
It's a Balkan food truck and catering business.
Today, Lepa will be making cheese burek which is a traditional Balkan dish.
Recipe below:
🧀 Cheat's Cheese Burek – Lepa Style
Make a delicious, flaky burek in under 40 minutes using store-bought filo pastry.
Let's be honest, perfecting the traditional dough takes time and practice, and I get it. Today we're making a quick and easy cheese burek using filo pastry. It's the shortcut my mama approves of when time's tight!
🛒 What you'll need:
• 1 packet of filo pastry (any brand – I love Art of Pastry from Woolies)
→ Tip: Let it thaw for at least 2 hours before using.
• Your favourite round or square baking tray (traditionally, burek is round)
• Vegetable oil (or any oil you like)
• Baking paper (optional)
🧀 Cheese Filling (my mum's mix, always):
• 100g ricotta
• 100g feta
• 1 tub cottage cheese
Mix all three together in a bowl until creamy and well combined.
👉 Tip from me to you: Don't overdo it with the cheese — too much filling can make your burek mushy and heavy. But hey, it's your kitchen! Add as much or as little as you like depending on your vibe.
🥄 Let's build the burek:
1. Prep your tray: Drizzle oil and brush it across the base and up the sides. You can use baking paper too if you prefer.
2. Base layers:
Layer 8 filo sheets into the pan, letting the edges hang over (these will fold over at the end to lock in your burek).
Drizzle a little oil between the sheets, using a brush or your hands.
3. First cheese layer:
Spread a generous spoon of your cheese mix evenly.
4. Repeat:
Add 4–5 more sheets of filo, then cheese. Repeat until your filling is used up.
Each layer can criss-cross - don't stress, it's rustic and perfect that way.
5. Final fold:
Finish with a few sheets on top, then fold over the hanging edges to close it up nicely.
Brush with oil on top.
🔥 Bake it up:
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (fan forced) for around 30 minutes or until golden brown top and bottom.
• Once baked, flip it carefully onto a cooling rack and let it rest for 10 minutes.