How to make Byrek me Kungull (Pumpkin Byrek)

Instructions

1. Prepare the pumpkin

   • Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
   • Peel off the skin, then cut the pumpkin into pieces.

   

   • You need
   • 1 small pie pumpkin

2. Bake the pumpkin

   • Put the pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle them with a little olive oil.
   • Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 1½ hours, until the pumpkin is squishy.

   

   • You need
   • olive oil

   Start a 1 hr 30 min timer

3. Make the dough

   • While the pumpkin bakes, add the all-purpose flour and the salt to a large bowl.
   • Pour in the water and mix with a spatula until there is no dry flour left.
   • Then knead it with your hand in the bowl until it comes together into one ball, about 10 minutes.

   

   • You need
   • 600 g all-purpose flour
   • 1 tbsp salt
   • 420 ml water

4. Let it rest

   • Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 1 hour, so it becomes elastic.

   

   Start a 1 hr timer

5. Make the filling

   • When the pumpkin is done, put it in a bowl, add 3 tbsp heavy cream and mash it like mashed potatoes.
   • If you like it a little sweeter, mix in ¼ cup brown sugar.
   • Spread it in a shallow dish and put it in the fridge until it’s cold.

   • You need
   • 3 tbsp heavy cream
   • ¼ cup brown sugar

   Cold filling, or it melts the dough.

6. Cut it into 8 pieces

   • Turn the dough out on the counter and cut it into 8 equal pieces.
   • Round each piece into a ball under your palm.

   

7. Roll the sheets

   • Roll each ball into a small round sheet, about the size of a dinner plate.
   • Dust with a little flour if it sticks.

   

   • You need
   • flour

8. Butter and stack

   • Put the first sheet on a large plate and spread it with room temperature butter.
   • Lay the next sheet on top, butter it, and repeat until all 8 sheets are stacked.
   • Use about 1 cup for all the layers.
   • No butter on the bottom of the stack or on the top sheet.

   

   • You need
   • 1 cup salted butter

   No butter on the top or the bottom.

9. Chill it

   • Cover the stack and let it rest in the fridge for another 1 hour.
   • Resting is very important here, so don’t skip it.

   Start a 1 hr timer

10. Roll it out

    • Take the stack out of the fridge and sprinkle some flour on your counter.
    • Roll it out until it’s flat and the same thickness all over.

    

    • You need
    • flour

11. Stretch it by hand

    • Now start pulling each side of the dough to make it bigger.
    • Lift an edge, pull it gently, and work your way around the sheet.
    • Keep going until it’s as thin as a cloth.
    • It’s easier to see than to explain, so watch my byrek me mish video for this part.

    

12. Cut the strips and add the filling

    • Cut the thin sheet into 8 equal strips.
    • Put a heap of the cold pumpkin filling at one end of each strip.

    Turn the oven back on now, so it’s hot by the time the triangles are folded.

13. Fold the triangles

    • Fold the corner of the strip over the filling, so it makes a triangle.
    • Fold the triangle up, then across, and keep folding it over itself to the end of the strip, like a flag.
    • Tuck the last bit of dough under the triangle.

    

14. Bake

    • Put the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    • Bake at 350°F (175°C) to 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
    • Every oven is different, so test yours and take them out when both sides are golden.

    Start a 25 min timer

    Flip them halfway.