By 
Makes 3 pastry sheets roughly 10 to 15 inches: each 1 sheet makes about 8 borekas
6 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons kosher salt
¼ cup white vinegar
2 ⅓ cups seltzer water
3 ¾ sticks (15 ounces) butter, softened
● Combine the flour, salt, and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment. Mix on low while adding the seltzer in a slow, steady stream. Continue
mixing until the dough begins to pull away from the sides and bottom of the mixer, about
2 minutes.
● Flour a work surface and knead the dough by hand just until it feels smooth and
homogenous, about a minute. Cover with a clean cotton cloth and let rest for 30
minutes.
● Working with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to a rough ¼-inch-thick rectangle
with a long side facing you. (It should be at least 20 by 15 inches.) Spread half the butter
evenly across the middle third of the dough rectangle. Fold the left third of the dough
over the butter, then fold the right third over the left third (they’ll overlap). Fold the top
and bottom edges toward the center the same way, forming a square. Wrap tightly with
plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
● Flour a work surface. Orient the dough square so that it’s turned 90 degrees from the
first time you folded it (that is, with the folded ends on the sides). Roll the chilled dough
out to a ¼-inch-thick-rectangle (again, about 20 by 15 inches). Spread the rest of the
butter evenly across the middle third of the rectangle. Fold the sides over the butter, and
fold the top and bottom toward the center, forming a square. Wrap tightly with plastic
wrap and refrigerate overnight.
● Flour a work surface. Orient the dough square so that it’s turned 90 degrees from the
last fold and roll the chilled dough out to a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Repeat the folding
process, folding the sides into the center and then folding the top and bottom toward the
center to make a square. (This time, don’t add more butter.) Wrap tightly with plastic
wrap and refrigerate overnight.
● The next day, divide the dough into 3 pieces and freeze for later use; or, roll each piece
into a 10-by-15-inch sheet to use in recipes. Make sure to keep the dough cold at all
times (Except when you’re working with it).
● Filled borekas can be frozen before baking. In that case, put them directly in a preheated
425ºF oven; don’t thaw them first.
● Don’t refrigerate baked borekas. They’ll keep at room temperature for 2 days. Reheat in
325ºF oven for 5 minutes.
Boreka_Dough_from_Zahav¨_©2015_by_Michael_Solomonov_and_Steven_Cook. Reproduced by permission
of Rux Martin Books Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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