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spinach fatayer broken in half
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4.50 from 2 votes

Lebanese Fatayer Recipe (Spinach Hand Pies!)

A classic Lebanese dish, spinach fatayers are miniature hand pies filled with a lemony spinach fililng.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Dough Rising1 hour
Total Time1 hour 27 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Lebanese
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 130kcal
Author: Sara Ayesh

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 sheet pan

Ingredients

Fatayer Dough

  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ cup warm water
  • 3 cups flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup warm water Use up to 1 ½ cups of water depending on if the dough doesn't come together with the 1 cup.

Spinach Fatayer Filling

  • 16 oz frozen spinach
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 teaspoon of salt
  • ½ tablespoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • ¼ cup canola oil for prepping the sheet tray

Instructions

  • In a small mixing bowl combine the yeast, ½ cup warm water, and sugar. Set in a warm place for 5 minutes until it gets bubbly.
  • While that is starting to bubble, in your stand mixer whisk together the flour, olive oil, and salt.
  • Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and turn on medium low, add in the yeast mixture to the bowl.
  • Pour in the additional 1 cup warm water and mix on medium until the dough starts to form a ball. Add up to another ½ cup of warm water if your dough is not coming together.
  • Let it go in the stand mixer for 3-5 minutes to knead the dough.
  • Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm place to let it rise for 1 hour. Or until it doubles in size.
  • While that rises, defrost the frozen spinach in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes.
  • Squeeze the excess water from the spinach. I like to add it to a salad spinner and spin the water out.
  • In a mixing bowl add the spinach, lemon juice, salt, pepper, onion, and canola oil. (This will be very lemon-y and salty but it will balance out once the dough is wrapped around it.)
  • Once the dough has risen for 1 hour, punch it down and cut it in half. Cut in half again for 4 equal pieces. Cut in half again to get 8 pieces. Then once more until you have16 equal pieces of dough.
  • Roll out 1 small ball of dough into a circle. It should be about 4 inches in diameter. You can do this with a rolling pin or press with your hands and a small bit of flour.
  • Add 1.5-2 tablespoons of the spinach (or meat or cheese) into the center.
  • To fold, we want to pinch the circle together to create a triangle. Avoid getting oil on the edges of the dough or they will not close.
  • Pinch 2 sides of the circle together, followed by taking the opposite side of the circle and matching it to the center creating 2 sides of the triangle.
  • Pinch together the last 2 sides and form your "pyramid" shape.
  • Preheat your oven to 425F and prepare 2 sheet trays by pouring 2 tablespoon of canola oil in the bottom of each pan until it fully covers the sheet (this will help cook the bottom of the pies)
  • Place 6-8 fatayers on each sheet pan and bake for 12 minutes until slightly golden brown on the top.
  • Serve with hummus or laban! (strained greek yogurt)

Notes

  • Get Rid of Excess Water: When you thaw frozen spinach, it gets watery. The water needs to go! At. All. Costs! So, squeeze out as much as you can, use paper towels, and keep your pies from turning soggy. 
  • Let the Spinach Filling Rest! I often make my filling a day or two in advance to let all the flavors marinate. The result is an insanely delicious filling! If you're in a hurry, at least let it rest for half an hour.
  • Don't Roll Your Dough Too Thin. Roll the dough the way you like, just not too thin! I think hands work the best for me when it comes to rolling dough. I get better control over how thick I want the dough to be.
  • Avoid Overstuffing! As tempting as it may be to stuff more filling into your fatayer, remember that the dough needs to seal properly. If you overstuff them, they might burst open while baking and your filling will be everywhere. You don't want that!
  • Get That Nice Golden Color. It matters! So, either give your fatayers an egg wash or brush them with a bit of olive oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3325IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg