Pastry Burek (Appetizer)

I recently found this recipe on this website, acanadianfoodie. I decided to give it a try making some few minor changes to the original recipe...However my family loved it and it is one I will be trying again very soon.

European Burek

Yield: 12 burek (two rounds of dough)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 340g (400ml) water
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 kg freshly ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 large or 1/2 medium onion, minced

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together, and knead until dough is soft, but not sticky
2. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and rest for thirty minutes
3. Divide into two portions and make each into a ball (each will make 6 burek )
4. Preheat oven to 260 C
5. Roll each ball on a flour dusted sturdy paper, turning only once, until about 1/4 inch thick
6. Spread oil over the surface of each rolled pastry oval very lightly, but cover the entire surface area to enable easy stretching later
7. Rest for 15 minutes (and not more than 5 minutes longer) and prepare the meat (mince the onion and mix all ingredients together)
8. Transfer one disc of pastry dough to the middle of the table covered using hands gently from the middle of the pastry to stretch it and lay it out
9. Then, pull the dough out little by little around the table and around again until it covers the table and then pull it to just go over the edge of the table; use your fingers in a pinching motion very lightly
10. Take half of the meat portion and lay it out on the edge of the table little by little until there is some meat all around the circumference of the table
11. Add the oil to the melted butter and sprinkle just a little over the pastry on each portion (make a circle with the sprinkling)
12. Cut the dough in half down the middle of the table; and cut off the thickened edge of the dough from the overhanging portion
13. Flip the overhanging pastry from the side of the table to over the meat laid out on the table until all is covered
14. Then, lift the cloth gently to force the dough to gently roll toward the centre of the table; stop it when you can easily roll the rest by hand
15. Use the butter and oil to grease the baking pan; roll each end of the two ropes of dough into two burek portions and leave enough in the middle for a third
16. Place all in the pan and very lightly brush with butter oil mixture
17. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 260 and remove from the oven
18. Pour about 1/2 cup of water over the golden burek and return to the oven for 5 more minutes
19. Take out of the oven and cover with a towel for at least five minutes before serving
20. Serve with yogurt (not required)