Traditional Turkish pastry recipes for poppy seed buns and Kaytaz borek

Two traditional Turkish pastry recipes are detailed, offering options for both sweet and savory meals.

The poppy seed bun recipe involves a soft dough made with flour, yeast, sugar, and water. The filling consists of crushed poppy seeds mixed with oil, which can be enriched with walnuts. The dough is layered, shaped into strips, and baked to create a multi-layered texture suitable for breakfast or tea time.

The Kaytaz borek recipe, originating from Hatay, features a thin dough that is hand-stretched without the use of a rolling pin. The savory filling is composed of ground beef, onions, parsley, pepper paste, and pomegranate molasses. The dough is shaped into small, circular bases with indentations for the meat mixture before being baked until golden.