The Pillowy Arabic Fatayer That Put Everyday Dinner Rolls to Absolute Shame

Fatayer are iconic Middle Eastern hand-pies that look like miniature works of art but are surprisingly simple to whip up right at home. The magic is all in the contrast: you get a light, cloud-soft dough wrapped around a bursting, punchy filling — whether you opt for a tangy, lemon-kissed spinach center or a rich, savory cheese blend.

They bake up incredibly fast, travel perfectly in a lunchbox, and deliver a spectacular pop of authentic flavor that instantly turns a few basic ingredients into a crowd-pleasing snack.

Ingredients:

For the dough: 350 g of wheat flour, 1.5 teaspoon of dry yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 240 ml of milk, 80 ml of olive oil.

For the spinach filling: 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 140 g of onion, 200 g of fresh tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3 green onions (stems), 170 g of spinach, 1/4 teaspoon of sumac, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice, 160 g of fresh parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 egg.

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the flour and add the milk and olive oil. Mix well and continue kneading the dough for 5 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 10–15 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest for another 10–15 minutes. To knead the dough, you can use a bread maker by selecting the “Pizza” program, a full cycle, and an additional 20 minutes or so.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes after the program ends and the rising process is complete. While the dough is in the bread maker, prepare the topping.

Fry the onions in 2 tablespoons of oil, add the chopped tomatoes, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the green onions, spinach, and spices, and cook for 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the parsley and the remaining tablespoon of oil, and stir.

Shape the prepared dough into a ball and place it on a work surface.

Divide the batter into 24 pieces.

The shape of the fatayer varies depending on the filling: a square or rectangular shape for meat filling, a boat shape for cheese filling, and a triangular shape for spinach filling.

Roll out 1 ball into a circle, place the spinach filling in the center, and shape it into a triangular pastry.

Move the dough pieces to a greased baking sheet and brush the surface of the dough with beaten egg.

Place in an oven preheated to 200–205°C and bake the pastries for 16–20 minutes, until done.