Food Recipes Soup Yayla Çorbası (Turkish Yogurt Soup) with Velibah 3.0 (3) 3 Reviews Although most Turks will opt for a pillowy square of pide bread to accompany this soup of yogurt, barley, and dried mint, buttery-crisp velibah stuffed with feta and potato is a go-to for editor Oset Babür's family, who hails from Ossetia, a state in the South Caucasus. By Firuzet Müjdeci Published on December 17, 2020 Rate Print Share Active Time: 1 hr 45 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Yield: 8 to 10 serves Ingredients Velibah Filling 4 cups water 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 cups) 1 tablespoon olive oil .025 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 ½ ounces feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces (about ⅓ cup) ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper Soup 6 cups lower-sodium chicken broth 1 cup uncooked pearl barley (about 7 ounces) 1 cup drained and rinsed canned chickpeas 32 ounce plain whole-milk yogurt (about 3½ cups) 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 large egg yolks 2 cups cold water Kosher salt, to taste Dried mint leaves and black Urfa biber (Urfa pepper), for garnish Velibah Dough 1 ¼ cups whole milk, warmed ¼ cup warm water 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast 4 all-purpose flour (about 17 ounces), divided, plus more for work surface 1 kosher salt 3 olive oil, divided 3 unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces, divided ¾ flaky sea salt, divided Directions Make the velibah filling Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add potato pieces; boil, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; transfer potato to a small bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Heat oil in a large (12-inch) stainless steel skillet over medium-low. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add onion to mashed potato in bowl; stir in feta, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Season with additional salt to taste. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use, up to 3 hours. Wipe skillet clean. Make the soup Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Stir in barley. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir chickpeas into barley. Whisk together yogurt, flour, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 2 cups cold water until well combined. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into barley mixture; stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until slightly simmering, 6 to 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm. While yogurt soup is cooking, make the velibah dough Stir together warm milk, 1/4 cup warm water, powdered sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Add 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated after each addition. Stir in kosher salt. Add remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until mostly incorporated after each addition, to form a shaggy dough. Knead in bowl until a sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel; let stand at room temperature until dough is slightly puffy, about 30 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; divide into 3 (10-ounce) pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining dough covered, gently roll dough into a 10-inch circle (about 1/3 inch thick). Mound about 1/4 cup velibah filling in center of circle. Gather outer edges of dough up and in toward center over filling, pleating dough into folds to create a purse. Shape into a ball; gently flatten. Roll into a 10-inch circle (about 1/3 inch thick). Repeat process using remaining dough and filling. Add 1 tablespoon oil to cleaned stainless steel skillet over medium; swirl to coat. Gently fold 1 dough circle (velibah) in half (this helps avoid tears in the dough and reduces splattering); place in skillet, and unfold. Fry until golden brown and lightly puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet;rub top of velibah with 1 butter piece until melted. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt. Cut into wedges. Wipe skillet clean; repeat process with remaining oil, velibah, butter, and flaky sea salt. Reheat yogurt soup over low until warm, 5 to 10 minutes, if needed. Garnish with mint and Urfa biber; serve with hot velibah. Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Make Ahead Velibah filling can be chilled in an airtight container up to 5 days. Originally appeared: January 2021 Rate It Print