Fatayer Jibneh
Lebanon's cheese hand-pies: small tricorn pastries stuffed with melty akkawi, halloumi and feta with parsley and mint. Baked till golden.
Overview
A soft yeasted olive-oil dough rises for 45 minutes. Filling: grated akkawi (desalted first if very salty) or a mix of low-moisture mozzarella + halloumi (rinsed to reduce salt), crumbled feta, chopped parsley, mint, dried mint, black pepper and a touch of nigella seed. Dough divides into 16 balls; each rolls into a 10 cm disc. A heaped tablespoon of cheese mix sits in the centre. Folded into a tricorn: three sides of the disc fold up over the filling, pinched at the top in three seams. Brushed with olive oil. Baked at 220°C for 15-18 minutes until deep gold.
Ingredients
Dough
- 400 g plain flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) fast-action yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 250 ml warm water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Filling
- 120 g low-moisture mozzarella
- 30 g halloumi (rinsed and grated)
- 80 g feta cheese (crumbled)
- 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped fine)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 spring onion (sliced thin, optional)
- 1 egg yolk (large, helps the binding)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
To finish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (for brushing)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional, sprinkle)
- A pinch of sumac
Method
Stage 1 - Dough
- Whisk flour, yeast, salt and sugar.
- Pour in warm water and olive oil; mix to a soft dough.
- Knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover; rise 45 minutes until doubled.
Stage 2 - Filling
- In a bowl, combine grated akkawi (or mozzarella-halloumi), crumbled feta, parsley, mint, spring onion (if using), egg yolk, black pepper and nigella seeds.
- Mix thoroughly. Don't add salt - the cheeses are salty enough.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Heat oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
- Line baking trays with paper.
- Knock back the dough; divide into 16 balls.
- Rest 5 minutes.
- Roll each ball into a thin 10 cm disc.
Stage 4 - Fill and fold
- Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each disc.
- Brush the edge of the disc with water.
- Lift three sides of the disc up over the filling - left, right and one side at the bottom - pinching each pair of edges where they meet, into a tricorn (three corners).
- Pinch firmly to seal - leaks during baking ruin them.
- Transfer to the baking trays.
Stage 5 - Glaze
- Brush each fatayer with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
Stage 6 - Bake
- Bake 15-18 minutes until deep golden brown.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Sprinkle with a pinch of sumac.
- Eat warm or at room temperature.
- Pair with mint tea or a Lebanese rosé.
Notes
- Desalt the akkawi: Akkawi is brined and very salty straight from the packet. A 30-minute soak in cold water (changing once) is essential; without it, the filling is inedibly salty.
- Seal the tricorn firmly: Pinch each pair of edges with floured fingers. A poorly-sealed fatayer opens during baking and the cheese leaks; the result is a flat pastry with a sad crater of dried cheese.
- Bake hot: 220°C is right. Lower temperatures give pale pastry and weep more cheese.
Storage
- Best within 4 hours.
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheat at 200°C 4 minutes.
- Freeze cooked 2 months; reheat from frozen at 200°C 8 minutes.
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