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.

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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.

🍽 Time to enjoy:

Cut into slices and serve with a glass of buttermilk - or better yet… pair it with a cheeky Baba’s Milk 😉💕