Lebanese Spinach Fatayer

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Rest Time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

For Spinach Pastry Dough:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup warm milk
3-4 tbsp warm water

For Fatayer Filling:

225 g spinach (fresh or frozen)
½ onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt (plus an additional ¼ tsp, approx, if using fresh spinach)
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon Lebanese seven spice (if you do not have it, use ⅛ teaspoon of the following spices to make a similar mix: ground coriander, cumin, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and all spice. However, coriander+cumin+cinnamon would do, too for equally yummy results. Another great option is Garam Masala available at Indian spice shelf of any grocery store)
1 teaspoon sumac (other best replacements are ½ tsp lemon zest mixed with ½ tsp black pepper)
½ tablespoon brown sugar

authentic-Lebanese-spinach-fatayer-lebanese-spinach-pies

Cooking Instructions for How to Make Lebanese Spinach Fatayer

Mix half a cup of warm milk with sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to double in size.
Now, add the flour, oil, and salt to it and mix together to form a smooth dough (You can also mix the ingredients and knead in a stand mixer, keep the speed at high to mix really well). You might need a little water if the dough looks dry or isn’t binding together (use warm water and add it in tablespoons, one at a time). However, it should only come together as a ball but not be wet or sticking to hands or your dough hook (whichever method you are using to knead the dough).
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for around 3-5 minutes until any stickiness has gone and it is smooth (this also helps the dough to release gluten and set well during resting period). Bring back the dough together in a ball.
Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough ball in it and cover with cling wrap. Leave in a warm temperature place for around 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, let’s make the filling. If using fresh spinach, wash the leaves, roughly chop the leaves and place in a colander. Now, sprinkle a little salt over the leaves and let sit for 10 minutes. Then, squeeze (by hands) the spinach really well to drain all the moisture released (a clean cloth or cheesecloth works well). If using frozen spinach, you can skip the salting procedure and just squeeze really well.
Take a large bowl, add the squeezed spinach, chopped onion, salt, pepper, sumac, Lebanese seven spice, and brown sugar.Mix everything well and set aside.
Once the dough has risen, knock it back and remove from the bowl to a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball.
Preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C. Place the oven rack in the middle. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Take one piece of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into a circle (of about 5 inches in diameter). Add the lemon juice into the filling mixture right before using and stir through well. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling in the middle of the dough.
Pinch together two sides of the dough over the filling, forming a point on one side. Now, press together along the join and pinch to lock.
Then, take the remaining part of dough and bring it together into the middle, pinch together, then join both the sides to form a triangular shape. Try to avoid having too much air inside the dough triangle but also ensure that it is not over-filled.
Carefully transfer to the oiled baking sheet (spray oiling is preferred to make the fatayers crisper).
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling. Spray oil over the top of the fatayer, too.
Bake for around 12-15 minutes until lightly golden on the outside. Once they are done, transfer immediately to a cooling rack to avoid the base becoming soft. Serve hot and crisp. Enjoy!