Feteer Meshaltet (Egyptian Layered Pastry)

Ingredients

• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 cup warm water (About 1 1/2 cups; slightly more or less may be needed.)
• 1 cup melted ghee (Use generously for drizzling, brushing, and layering; the source gives a range of 1 to 2 cups.)
• 2 cup mozzarella cheese (For the cheese filling.)
• 0.5 cup pitted black olives (Chopped; for the cheese filling.)
• 0.5 green or red bell pepper (Cut into slices; for the cheese filling.)
• 1 cup shredded coconut (For the coconut-raisin filling; the source gives a range of 1 to 2 cups.)
• 0.5 cup raisins (For the coconut-raisin filling.)
• 0.333 cup powdered sugar (For the coconut-raisin filling.)
• 2 tbsp cream (Brush over the top of the sweet filled feteer before baking.)
• honey (For serving with plain feteer.)
• jam (For serving with plain feteer or sweet filled feteer.)
• feta cheese (For serving with plain feteer.)
• green olives (For serving with plain feteer.)
• cucumbers (Sliced; served with savory filled feteer.)
• tomatoes (Sliced; served with savory filled feteer.)

Steps

1. 1

   Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading attachment, or to a regular mixing bowl if kneading by hand.

2. 2

   Slowly add the warm water while kneading until a smooth, sticky dough forms. The dough should be extra wet so it can be stretched later.

3. 3

   Knead for 10 minutes in a stand mixer or 15 minutes by hand.

4. 4

   Divide the dough into 4 portions. Drizzle the portions generously with melted ghee and let them rest for 1 hour.

5. 5

   On a clean surface, preferably marble, drizzle some melted ghee. Gently and slowly spread one dough portion with your hands until it becomes very thin, forming a thin circle.

6. 6

   Fold one-third of the dough over the middle third and spread it with melted ghee.

7. 7

   Fold the remaining third over the center and brush it with melted ghee.

8. 8

   Fold one-third over the middle third again, brush with melted ghee, then fold it over the remaining third to form a square of layered dough.

9. 9

   Set the folded square aside and repeat the stretching, ghee-brushing, and folding process with the other 3 dough portions. You should have 4 folded layered squares.

10. 10

    For plain feteer, place one folded square in a baking pan and let it rest for 30 minutes.

11. 11

    Gently spread the rested square to make it thinner and larger.

12. 12

    For coconut-raisin feteer, spread one folded square in the baking pan, top it with the coconut-raisin filling, and place a second folded square over it.

13. 13

    Seal the sweet filling inside by pressing the edges together or tucking the top layer underneath the edges of the base. Spread the cream over the top layer.

14. 14

    For cheese feteer, repeat the filled-pastry assembly using the cheese, olive, and pepper filling. Brush the top layer with melted ghee instead of cream.

15. 15

    Bake the feteer on the central rack in an oven preheated to 380°F (190°C).

16. 16

    Bake until the bottom is golden brown; the pastry will puff during baking. When the bottom is golden, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes, until the top is golden as well.

17. 17

    Serve plain feteer with honey, jam, feta cheese, and green olives. Serve savory filled feteer with tea and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Serve sweet filled feteer on its own or with cream or jam.

Notes

The source describes plain feteer, cheese-filled feteer, and coconut-raisin feteer as variations. It does not provide a separate baking time beyond baking until the bottom is golden and broiling for a couple of minutes to brown the top. The recipe refers to a filling of your choice; the quantities listed are for the two provided filling options.

Nutrition per serving

• pastry
• baked
• Egyptian
• Middle Eastern
• vegetarian
• sweet-and-savory
• cheese-filled
• dessert