Fatayer are middle eastern little pockets filled with all sorts of fillings. Savory fillings like spinach, meat or cheese are the most popular. Fatayer are usually have triangular or boat-like shape. Very tasty filled with almost anything you want, but this feta, and mint combination makes the Fatayer irresistible.
How to make fatayer dough?
Fatayer dough is so easy to make, it really does not require any special skills. A yeast dough is made for fatayer and you leave it to rise. Roll, fill and cut that's it. I like adding dry milk to most of my doughs simply because it makes the dough more tender and soft.
- In your mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt yeast and dry milk mixing well.
- Add oil and mix. Add water gradually until the dough comes together.
- knead by hand for another 3-4 minutes until you have a nice soft dough.
- Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let it double in size.
How to make fatayer cheese?
- Make the filling, in this case it is cheese, parsley, dry or fresh mint and one egg to hold everything together.
- Take the dough out, punch and divide into two parts. Roll first part into a rectangle.
- Spread half the filling along the longer side of the rectangle and start rolling from the far side to you until it forms a log.
- Divide each log into 8 equal parts.
- Brush each part with oil.
- You can bake like this or with a wooden spoon press in the middle to make a nice fan like shape. Bake until top is golden brown.
Notes:
- Fatayer can take different shapes, the most common ones are boat and triangular ones, but today I've prepared my Fatayer in a new interesting shape. You can use the same dough and form your fatayer however you like.
- The filling is also so tasty, it is a combination of feta cheese, parsley, and dried or fresh mint, the exact ratio is up to you, there is no right or wrong here I recommend tasting the filling before adding the egg.
- You can use any other kind of cheese like mozzarella, ricotta, or any other kind that you feel will fit your taste. For us we preferred using feta crumbles which are dry and have a pleasant tartness that when combined with mint and parsley comes out very appealing to everyone in my family.
- Although homemade is the best but if you are pressed in time or do not want to make the dough from scratch you can use store-bought pizza dough or even biscuit dough.
Fatayer are soft and fluffy, they are perfect as a snack or lunch, they are also very common as a side dish or a starter in the holy month of Ramadan.
Look how chubby these are 🤗. These are dangerous, dangerous by all means..... I've warned you.
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Cheese Fatayer
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup flour.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon yeast.
- 1/2 Tablespoon sugar.
- 3 Tablespoon dry milk.
- 1/4 cup olive oil.
- 1 cup warm water.
For the cheese filling
- 1 cup feta cheese.
- 2 Tablespoon parsley- chopped.
- 2 Tablespoon dry or fresh mint.
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In your mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt yeast and dry milk mixing well. Add oil and mix, then add water, mix the dough then knead by hand for another 3-4 minutes until you have a nice soft dough.
- Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Make the filling:
- Meanwhile prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients together mixing well.
Assemble and bake:
- Divide the dough in half. Take the first half and roll into a rectangle.
- Spread half of the filling in the rectangle then roll to form a log.
- Cut the long into 1.5 to 2 inches length, or less according to your desire. Then brush with oil.
- Using a wooden stick, make an indentation in the middle of each piece .
- Bake for 12-15 minutes in a 400F preheated oven.
- Let it cool down and Enjoy!!
Hi Amira! I’m trying this out for Ramadan and they look delicious. I used real milk (3/4) instead of milk powder and water but it still looks the same. Thank you for the recipe I’m so excited to eat these with iftar.
So glad it worked for you Mayadah, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Ramadan Mubarak.
Love the shapes you created by rolling the dough and cutting it. It's so much faster than making each fatayer (pie) individually. Thank you!
Thanks Amira, sometimes we need to find workaround for our busy lives :).
I have tried several recipes for Fatayer and Manakeesh and I must admit that this is the best so far. I followed the recipe exactly and the outcome was excellent. Even on the next day, they remained soft and did not dry out. I tried it with mince stuffing and added mozzarella to the cheese ones to give it a bit of leathery feel.
Great recipe ! Thanks Amira.
Thank you SK for your comment and feedback, I am happy you liked it. And yes feel free to play with the filling I bet it was delicious.
Hi. Just trying to make this ans realised I haven’t got dry milk. Can I use normal milk and if so how much do I use plz. Thanks
No problem Razia, just start by 3/4 cup of warm milk instead of using dry milk and do not forget to leave out water.
Do I have to put in the egg? I am worried there will be egg smell to it.
Measa, use whatever filling you like.. this is up to you.