Hello from Miami! I am in the sunny state for a brief visit before moving on to Antigua to meet with a client. The weather in Miami is so nice!
To stay on the ball, and to keep the readers happy, I prepared a few pre-scheduled posts while I’m away. I will be posting live throughout the week but some of the recipes have been already created.
What a treat I have for you today – Lebanese Fatayer! Growing up having ancestry from Lebanon gave me a lot of exposure to Lebanese food. I am a huge fan of this cuisine. What I am about to share with you today is a classic dish which often has different fillings using spinach and/or meat. It’s called Fatayer and I am going to show you the way my family always makes them.
Now don’t kid yourself, this Fatayer recipe is a labor of love and involves setting homemade bread dough. Can you say YUM!? I cannot take any credit for these other than the pictures, as my aunt made them for two very special birthdays last week. She did a great job and made a whole bunch. If you can believe it – she set 8 loaves of dough. God love her.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2 Cups hot water
- 2 Cups hot milk
- 4 Tbsp. shortening
- 4 Tbsp. white sugar
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 2 Packages instant yeast
- 10-12 Cups flour
Filling
- Ground lamb
- Ground beef
- Minced onion
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a large bowl, place water, milk, shortening and sugar (let melt).
- In another large bowl place 6 cups of flour, salt, yeast and mix well.
- Add flour mixture into liquid and mix. Add remaining flour a little at a time until you get the right consistency. (It is best to have the dough a little sticky)
- Knead well.
- Let rest for 10 minutes then cut the dough as if you were going to make rolls. Knead each piece and let rise until each piece double in size.
- Now roll each piece out as thin as you can in a circle and add a small dollop of mixture in the center and spread it.
- Pick two sides of the dough together and pinch tight as if you were making a turnover. Shape in a triangle and place on a cookie sheet.
- Bake until light brown (Do not over cook as the dough will become tough).
- Brush with melted butter once out of the oven and let cool on rack.
- ENJOY!
Zesty Tip: When the bread dough has a sticky consistency, the Fatayer will hold their shape better and not break at the seam. If the dough is too dry they will bust open and not look as pretty.
New Blog Feature
Before you leave, I’d like to mention that I’ve added a new “print” option to all posts due to multiple reader requests. When you click on the “print this post” link under the title of each post, it will bring you to a printer friendly version of the recipe. Enjoy!
Have a great Monday and stay tuned for another baked good in store for tomorrow.
Take care
zesty
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Whether it is about recipes, food techniques, food tips, or meal suggestions in a rush - this is your one stop food shop. When I was sitting at home - I always wanted to write a blog and help people in everyday life come up with innovative and different approaches to food. So here it is - released for all to see - I hope you enjoy!
YOU’RE IN WARM MIAMI?!??!?! Beyond envious over here
thanks for the print option
my college tennis coach was lebanese so she always talked about their food… too bad i wasn’t as into food then, looks like i’ve been missing out!
I’m excited about the print option!
Mmm, how lovely. I’ve never tried anything like this before!
oooooh. my grandmother used to make those all the time when i was little. only spinach though. the meat ones were open face rounds (though i suspect the dough is the same. i can’t remember what they are called now)
i would love to try making them myself someday.
My dad (100% Lebanese) just made the spinach ones for me the other day! They are so delicious (both kinds)and I like pine nuts in them too!
YUM!! I love Lebanese food… reminds me of hanging at one of my friends houses when I was younger
sneaky little arab child… enjoying the fatayer without breaking a sweat to make the dough!
They look delicious and golden! I would love to try some spinach ones.
you know lebanese food?? O zesty please please tell me you have a recipe for pumpkin kibbe(sorry if I didn’t spell that right!) I had it once in a restaurant and once from a friend’s mom and it is one of my most favorite things! Have a great trip, jealous of your tropical adventure and of course, your food that always looks better than mine!
@Lisa – I have never had pumpkin Kibbe – but I do have the recipe for what I call ” normal ” kibbe both cooked and raw.
I’ve never heard of this treat before, but the pictures have me convinced that this would be a delicious recipe to try
I am always interested in hearing people’s reactions to this city lol. You’re right: the weather has been gorgeous! Did you get to explore the city at all?
@Meredith – no I didn’t get to tour around very much, just hotel and had some dinner.
WOW this looks great and thanks for the printer option, very thoughtful of you!!
I have Lebanese heritage too. I adore Fatayer – yum! Especially with a spinach and tomato filling – my grandmother made them the best!
Your version is lovely, although I’d add some toasted pine nuts to the filling
I pretty much love any type of pastry filled with any type of filling, so this will do just fine! Thanks!
LOVE These!!!! I would proably eat 10 of them
What a great recipe Zesty.
Thanks.
Since I like to do things with homemade bread dough, I’m definitely trying this one. I may even be able to sneak in some lamb (My wife thinks she doesn’t like it, so I have to fool her when I cook it.).
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for creating a printer friendly function for your posts. I have been copying and pasting your recipes into Word documents so I could print them for my personal recipe binder. You’ve made it alot easier now.
I tried these before at a grocery store I worked at. The company that prepared our pita bread droped some of for the staff every week. Im not a big fan of the meat filling myself but the spinach ones are friggin delicious. One of the only reasons I miss working there.
Just reading this now – since I only found your blog a few weeks ago (lovin’ it!). I’m part Lebanese too – and we ate these growning up . . . but we called them “flat tires” – ! Bon appetit!
My sister makes a fatayer recipe that includes ground beef, chopped fresh tomatoe, chopped fresh parsley, tomatoe paste, tomatoe sauce, cayenne, cinnamon and minced onion… It, as well, is a real treat. Your recipe is much simpler… less ingredients… I’ll try it! Thanks….