Fatayer / Pide- A Multicultural Recipe

Ingredients

For the dough-

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water, divided
• 1 ¼ teaspoon rapid rising yeast.
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ¼ cups bread flour. I used Arthurs
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup plain yogurt. I used homemade yogurt made with 1%milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil +1/2 teaspoon to grease the bowl

For the filling-

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 green chili pepper, split
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 (10 oz) box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar

For the topping-

½ cup feta or mozzarella cheese

To make the Fatayer /Pide

1. Make the dough. To ¼ cup of the lukewarm water,add the sugar and the yeast. Stir, cover and set aside for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is frothy.
2. Add the salt to the bread flour. Mix in the yogurt. Then add the frothy yeast mixture and the ¼ cup lukewarm water. Knead the dough until a ball is formed. 3 minutes in the Kitchenaid stand mixer.
3. Keep the ball of dough in an oiled bowl and cover the bowl tightly with a lid or saran wrap. Set it aside in a warm place to rise for an hour or until the dough is doubled in size.
4. Meanwhile make the filling- In a saute pan, Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they start sputtering,add the garlic. Saute briefly and add the chili pepper and onion, saute until the onion is golden brown, taking care not to burn the garlic.
5. Add the turmeric powder, saute briefly for 30 seconds or so and add the spinach, salt and sugar and stir it well together.Cook until the spinach is heated through. Take it off the heat and let cool.
6. To form the Fatayer/ Pide- Divide the dough into 8 parts. Roll out each part into an oblong, add a tablespoon of the filling in the center, top with a teaspoon of cheese
7. Pull up the oblong sides of the dough and pinch the edges together. Flatten the Pide with the palm of your hand.
8. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the 7 other dough balls and filling.
9. Bake the fatayer/ Pide in a 375-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the Fatayer/ Pide are golden brown and baked through.
10. Enjoy the multicultural Fatayer/ Pide!