Lebanese Spinach Fatayer Recipe
Prep Time:
1 hour, 50 minutes
Cook Time:
30 hours
Servings:
18 Pies
Ingredients
  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove as much water as possible
  • 1 tablespoon sumac
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • Lemon juice, to taste
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
  1. Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the water and olive oil and mix until the dough comes together.
  2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until soft.
  3. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for around 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
  4. In the meantime, prepare the spinach filling: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion for 6 to 7 minutes until soft.
  5. Add the spinach, sumac, cumin, and coriander. Cook for a further 5 minutes to dry up the mixture. Remove from the heat and leave to cool down for 5 minutes. Mix in the feta. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Once the dough has risen, punch it back down. Knead for 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 18 equal dough balls, around 1 ¼ ounces each.
  7. Arrange the dough balls on an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for 15 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  9. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the first dough ball with the palm of your hand, then roll out to a 4-inch wide circle of ⅛-inch thickness. Place 1 ½ tablespoons of spinach filling in the middle of the circle.
  10. Fold two of the sides together, pinching the dough to close it. Fold in the third side to close the fatayer pies into a triangle. Pinch the sides together to make sure the filling is secure. Repeat this step with the remaining dough balls.
  11. Make the egg wash. Whisk 1 egg thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of water.
  12. Space the fatayer pies evenly on 2 oven trays lined baking sheet and brush each pie with egg wash.
  13. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Swap the trays around in the oven so that the pies cook evenly.
  14. Serve warm or at room temperature.