Fatayer – Joe Pastry

Making Fatayer

When you set out to make fatayer you might as well make a lot of them, because a.) it’s hard to stop eating them and b.) they keep. Spinach fatayer like these will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, refrigerated for over a week, and frozen well over a month. But odds are they won’t be around that long. Like most hand pies, they’re so convenient and travel so well that you’ll find yourself taking them everywhere with you.

These closed triangles are the most convenient from a portability standpoint, though the triangle shape is traditionally reserved for the spinach fateera (thanks to reader Jasmine, both for that information and for providing me with correct singular spelling of the word). I’ll demonstrate the three shapes I know as we go along. For now, assemble your ingredients, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and let’s get going.

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Fatayer Recipe

Many of the English language recipes I’ve seen for fatayers call for bread flour, which I think is a mistake. Lower gluten is what we need here, so all-purpose is definitely the way to go (Italian 00 flour is ideal for this, but it can be a little hard to get for many of us). You’ll want:

16.5 ounces (3 cups) all-purpose or Italian 00 flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
8 ounces water
2.5 ounces (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
egg wash

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Stir on low until all ingredients have been moistened, then switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-low until a smooth dough is created, about five minutes. Cover the dough and allow it to rest about 70 minutes, until it’s about double its size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

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