What Is the Difference Between Börek Dough and Yufka?

Thin Turkish pastry sheets are usually made from flour, water, and salt, rolled out very thin, and cooked briefly. The ready-made sheets have lost much of their moisture, so they dry out and crack quickly. Cover them with a damp cloth before use. For layered water pastry, they are boiled; for drier pastries, they are softened by brushing sauce between the sheets. They contain no fat on their own; all the fat in the pastry is added separately. Their thinness also shortens the cooking time: the same pastry takes less time in the oven when made with thin sheets than with homemade savory pastry dough.

Savory pastry dough is mixed at home and usually contains oil, yogurt, or eggs. It is rolled thicker and retains moisture, so it does not dry out or crack while being handled. Its texture is more flexible and forgiving than thin pastry sheets. It is rolled out, oiled, folded, and rested; the folds give it its own layers. The result is a softer, fuller dough than pastry made with thin sheets. Mixing time also differs: the dough is mixed only enough to avoid developing too much gluten, because overworked dough keeps shrinking back while it is being rolled out.

Which dough to use for each Turkish savory pastry often depends on tradition. Layered water pastry and rolled pastry call for thin sheets. Talaş böreği (a flaky, shaving-layered pastry) and hand-rolled layered pastries use their own dough. Cigarette-shaped pastry rolls are made with thin sheets. The two types can be substituted for one another, but the result changes: pastries made with thin sheets have thinner layers and are drier, while those made with homemade dough are softer and fuller. Some recipes use both; that is why some pastries are assembled with thin sheets on the bottom and hand-rolled dough on top.

Their handling also differs. Thin pastry sheets are used as soon as they are taken out of the package and are not left exposed; dried sheets break and cannot be rolled. To moisten them, brush a mixture of milk, yogurt, or oil between the sheets. Savory pastry dough, by contrast, is rested, divided into portions, and rolled out one at a time. If the rolled sheets are to be stacked, sprinkle starch between them. Keep the work surface and rolling pin clean for the two doughs. Adjust the amount of sauce to the dough: thin sheets absorb more sauce, while homemade dough works with less, and too much makes it heavy.

Storage conditions also differ. Ready-made thin pastry sheets keep for a short time in their package in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer; thaw frozen sheets slowly in the refrigerator, or they will not separate from one another. Homemade dough keeps for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer; if it is frozen in portions, take out only as much as needed each time. In each of the two cases, do not leave the dough exposed. Leftover baked savory pastry also differs the next day: pastries made with thin sheets dry out when reheated, while those made with homemade dough retain moisture and stay softer.