This is on every Emirati table during family gatherings. Warm, soft dough filled with tangy greens and salty cheese. You will want to bake these every week. Save this!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (360g) All-purpose flour 🌾
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Olive oil 🫒
- 1 tsp (5g) Active dry yeast 🍞
- 1 cup (240ml) Warm water 💧
- 400g (14 oz) Fresh spinach, chopped 🥬
- 150g (5.3 oz) Akawi or Feta cheese, crumbled 🧀
- 1 Large onion, finely diced 🧅
- 2 tbsp (30ml) Pomegranate molasses 🏺
- 1 tbsp (15g) Sumac spice 💜
- 1 tsp (5g) Salt 🧂
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Mix the flour, yeast, olive oil, and warm water in a bowl.
- Knead the dough until it feels completely smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
- Toss the chopped spinach with a heavy pinch of salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze the spinach hard with your hands to drain all the dark green water.
- Mix the dry spinach with the crumbled cheese, diced onion, sumac, and pomegranate molasses.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out into small, thin circles.
- Place a spoonful of the tart spinach filling in the center of each circle.
- Fold the dough edges inward to form a classic triangle shape.
- Pinch the seams tightly so they do not burst in the oven.
- Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.
Secret Tip: Squeezing the water out of the spinach is crucial. If you skip this, the filling will turn into soup and make the dough soggy and heavy.