Observation is a Turkish stuffed flatbread and it’s one of my favourite things to eat. This is my take on the comforting dish and we’re stuffing it with a delicious caramelized onion and goats cheese filling. You only need 3 ingredients for the doughso let me show you how to make it!
People are often nervous about making bread. And I get it, you have to get your hands all floury, which can be a pain. But trust me when I say if you can suffer the slightly doughy hands for a few minutes, the result is SO worth it. This Gozleme recipe is one of those recipes you’ll be making on repeat…for yourself, for guests, for family…everyone will be begging you for more!
I’ve got several fantastic flatbread recipes on my blog including my viral feta spring flatbreads, caprese flatbreads, and 3-ingredient cheesy naan flatbreads!
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About Emily’s Recipe
If you’re new here, hi! I’m Emily – a recipe developer, food content creator, and cookbook author! Thanks for stopping by to check out my gözleme recipe. I really hope you enjoy it and please do let me know in the comments if you give it a go!
If you’d like to join a community of food lovers, just subscribe to my newsletter for recipes, cooking tips, and foodie chats. Now, let me tell you a bit more about this recipe…
Texture: we’ve got a soft and bready outside with gooey cheese and slightly crunchy centre.
Taste: slightly charred, slighted salted bread with a tangy, sweet, and cheesy centre.
Ease: the dough only requires 3 ingredients! You will need a clean surface and a rolling pin, so if you’ve got them and you’re happy to use your hands in the cooking process, you’ll really enjoy making this recipe!
Top Tips: leave the dough to rest for around 10-30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out.
Would I make this again? Absolutely, it’s a great recipe to make as an appetiser to impress my guests. Or delicious as a mid-afternoon snack!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Flour: we’re using all-purpose flour for this gözleme dough. You can use wholegrain flour if you’d like but white flour is good.
Olive oil: I’m using extra virgin olive oil. We’re adding this into the dough for extra flavour and to enhance the texture of the dough. If you’ve only got vegetable oil, that’s fine!
Red onions: for sweetness, red onions are best. You can use white onions or shallots if you’d like.
Balsamic vinegar: this adds a lovely tanginess to our caramelised onions. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, you could use red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar.
Sugar: I used white sugar for this recipe, but brown sugar can also work. You could alternatively use agave or honey.
Goats cheese: this balances out the sweet tanginess from the caramelised red onions. If you don’t have goats cheese, you could use feta cheese.
The full list of ingredients and quantities is at the bottom of this blog in the recipe card!
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, olive oil, and salt. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, stir the dough and then begin to knead it until a dough has formed.
Step 2: Once your dough is formed into a soft but pliable ball, cover with clingfilm or plastic wrap and set aside while you make your filling.
Step 3: Place a frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the red onions and fry on low/medium heat for 10 minutes until softened. Next up, add in the balsamic vinegar followed by the sugar. Fry for a further 3-5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Step 4: Knead your dough for 30 seconds, then slice into 6 equal pieces. Set aside 5 pieces of the dough until a damp tea towel or plastic wrap so that the dough doesn’t dry out.
Step 5: Lightly flour a clean surface, then roll out your piece of dough into a thin circular wrapper, around 20cm in diameter.
Step 6: On one half of the gozleme dough sheet, place ⅙ of the red onion mixture and top with sprinkles of goats cheese. Then fold over the other half of the dough and pinch the edges to make a sealed parcel. Set aside and repeat for the other 5 pieces of dough.
Step 7: Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add two gozleme flatbreads into the pan and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes until patched golden brown.
Step 8: Once the gozleme are cooked, brush with olive oil on both sides, remove and set aside. Repeat and cook all of the flatbreads. Serve up and enjoy!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Once cooled, store in Tupperware and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Once cooled, place in airtight containers or wrap in plastic wrap. Label with date and contents. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave to thaw or defrost in the fridge overnight!
Reheating: I’d recommend placing in a preheated oven at 180C/355F for 10 minutes until piping hot. You could also place them in the microwave for 30 seconds but it might make the bread go floppy.
FAQs
For sure! Gozleme has myriad fillings you can choose from. To make a plant-based filling, simply follow the instructions for the caramelised onions, then either you can use a plant-based cheese, or combine the onion with spinach or mashed chickpeas.
Traditional fillings include feta and spinach, stir-fried ground meat, or cheese and cooked potato! I love using whatever I’ve got leftover in my fridge!
For sure! Just double, or triple the recipe quantities to make more gözleme!
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If you tried this Observation recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Gözleme (Caramelized Onion and Goats Cheese Stuffed Flatbreads)
Gözleme is a Turkish stuffed flatbread and it’s one of my favourite things to eat.
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, olive oil, and salt. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, stir the dough and then begin to knead it until a dough has formed (scroll further up this blog to find step by step instructions with photos).
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Once your dough is formed into a soft but pliable ball, cover with clingfilm or plastic wrap and set aside while you make your filling.
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Place a frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the red onions and fry on low/medium heat for 10 minutes until softened. Next up, add in the balsamic vinegar followed by the sugar. Fry for a further 3-5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
-
Knead your dough for 30 seconds, then slice into 6 equal pieces. Set aside 5 pieces of the dough under a damp tea towel or plastic wrap so that the dough doesn’t dry out.
-
Lightly flour a clean surface, then roll out one piece of dough into a thin circular wrapper, around 20cm in diameter.
-
On one half of the gozleme dough sheet, place ⅙ of the red onion mixture and top with sprinkles of goats cheese. Then fold over the other half of the dough and pinch the edges to make a sealed parcel. Set aside and repeat for the other 5 pieces of dough.
-
Place a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add two gozleme flatbreads into the pan and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes until patched golden brown.
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Once the gozleme are cooked, brush with olive oil on both sides, remove and set aside. Repeat and cook all of the flatbreads. Serve up and enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Once cooled, store in tupperware and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Once cooled, place in airtight containers or wrap in plastic wrap. Label with date and contents. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave to thaw or defrost in the fridge overnight!
Reheating: I’d recommend placing in a preheated oven at 180C/355F for 10 minutes until piping hot. You could also place them in the microwave for 30 seconds but it might make the bread go floppy.
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 10gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 194mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 259IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 3mg
