Cheese Fatayer
Nothing better than waking up in the morning, and smelling fresh cheese pies baking in the oven! A cherished childhood memory <3
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1 tbsp Active dry yeast instant yeast will work as well
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 cup Warm water (lukewarm water from the tap)
- 1 cup All purpose flour 125 grams
Dough:
- 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour 188 grams
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup Olive oil
Cheese mixture:
- 3 cups Freshly grated mozzarella (fill up your measuring cup without packing in your cheese)
- 1 1/4 cups Feta
- Handful Freshly chopped parsley
Garlic butter:
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
Egg wash:
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbsp Water
Crust:
- Handful Freshly grated mozzarella
Instructions
Prepare your sponge:
- Mix together your yeast, sugar, warm water, and flour in a bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Prepare your dough:
- After 10 minutes, add the rest of your flour (1 1/2 cups), salt, and olive oil to your sponge.
- Take a large wooden spoon and roughly combine dough ingredients.
- Now, you can use a stand mixer - but if you don't have one, with lightly oiled hands, knead your dough for 8-10 minutes on a clean and oiled work surface until smooth.
- Don't add any extra flour to this recipe. The dough will start off quite sticky, but after several minutes of kneading the dough on an oiled work surface - it will eventually come together beautifully.
- By limiting the amount of extra flour we add to the dough, we will be able to create a very fluffy, as well as airy bread for our cheese pies.
- Next, separate your dough into 10 dough balls (each around 62-65 grams in weight). Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Shape your cheese pies:
- After 10 minutes, lightly sprinkle flour on your work surface. Roll out each dough ball about a half an inch thick.
- Once you've rolled out your dough - its time to build the crust.
- Add a light amount of freshly grated mozzarella to the edges of your dough ( just plain mozzarella, not the filling we made). Start folding your dough over the mozzarella, pressing down to seal the edges. Watch video above for guidance.
- Fold the edges of your crust into a diamond shape, pinching the top and bottom of your dough to enforce the shape even more.
- Preheat oven to 425°f (218°C)
Baking your Cheese Fatayer:
- Add your stuffed, and shaped dough to a lined baking sheet.
- Brush egg wash on your crust, and brush garlic butter in the center of your dough.
- Fill your cheese pies with your cheese filling. Be generous! Your cheese mixture should be completely used up after filling your last cheese pie.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Every oven preforms differently, keep a close eye on them. You want the bottom of your pies, as well as your crust, to be beautifully golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow your Cheese Fatayer to cool for a couple minutes.
- Serve fresh with a nice cup of tea, and anything else you may enjoy!
How to store them:
- Cover any left over cheese pies tightly, or store them in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for a couple days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.