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Lebanese meat pies or sfeehas are savory pastries that are traditionally served like pizzas or as little triangles of doughy staff of life stuffed with a flavorful footing lamb or beef filling. Lebanese meat pies tin be made in large sizes to be eaten for a principal meal or smaller for appetizers!

Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)Hi lil' triangles of deliciousness, we 'meat' again. Okay, that was bad horrible. Or nosotros could simply call them what normal people call them – Lebanese meat pies. That's totally not every bit fun to say though.

Lebanese meat pies or sfeehas bring back a lot of childhood memories for me. They're the image of ethnic comfort food. When my brother and I were little my parents use to buy these from a small-scale footling Lebanese baker for us. They were treats that came effectually every couple of months or so, every bit the baker was in the city and we lived in a tiny suburb an hour abroad. I have distinct memories of cold, blizzardous (not a word, I know) winters, wearing ugly sweaters, corduroy pants, and eating warm sfeehas (or sfihas, all the same you spell information technology) past the fireplace. Okay, and then the ugly sweaters and corduroy aren't as addicted to recall, obvi. Merely I just HAD to paint the whole picture for yous there.

Moving right along…

Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)I made my Lebanese meat pies into large, dinner/luncheon sized portions considering that's how I think them existence. These can likewise exist made smaller to serve as appetizers. If you're making large ones, you'll end upward with 16. Appetizer portions will brand most 32.

Let's jump right into this recipe. I want to brand sure that I explicate everything step-past-step so that information technology'due south easy to do at home.

The first step is the dough. Put the flour, powdered milk, table salt, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Give it a good whisk so that all the ingredients are mixed. Create a well in the middle, you're going to add the oil and the eggs in the center.

Using a wooden spoon, stir as you add the warm water. When the dough starts to come together, dump information technology out onto a work surface.

Knead the dough for 3-iv minutes. The dough will look kinda wet and sloppy and doesn't actually hold it's shape. Place information technology in a bowl and loosely cover it with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot, like the oven (turned off, of course). Let rise for one hour. While it's rising, set up the filling.

Heat the ghee (clarified butter) in a large skillet on medium rut. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes. They should but start to turn translucent. Add together the basis beef or lamb. Brown the meat for x-12 minutes. Increase the flame to medium loftier and add the tomatoes. Continue to cook for 8-9 more minutes.

Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeeha or Sfiha) 14Add the salt, cinnamon pulverisation, all spice pulverization, cayenne powder, and the sumac powder. Requite information technology a stir. Add the tahini paste and pomegranate molasses. Let it melt for ane more minute. Plow the stove off and add the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Permit the filling cool for 15 – twenty minutes.

Divide the dough into xvi equal sized assurance for larger sfeehas or 32 for appetizer sized ones. Before rolling out each dough ball spread about a teaspoon or 2 of flour on the work surface. Coil the dough ball around so that it takes in the flour. The dough is going to feel somewhat oily, don't be tempted to add together more flour than the 1 -ii teaspoons mentioned. Roll out the dough into a five-half dozen inch circle.

Place ii tablespoons of the filling in the center (for larger sfeehas, for smaller ones use ane tablespoon). Catch 2 ends and bring them over the filling. Pinch the dough equally you go to create a seal, stop at the center. Bring the last side up and compression the centre and downwardly the 2 sides. Identify on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Allow the lebanese meat pies residuum for at least 10 minutes while the oven is preheating.

LEBANESE MEAT PIES (SFEEHAS)Broil at 425 degrees for 12-xv minutes or until they start turning lightly golden brown. Mine took exactly 12 minutes. Serve them warm or at room temperature with common cold greek yogurt as a dip or with lemon wedges.

LEBANESE MEAT PIES (SFEEHAS)Just a final little note: I know it looks like a lot of oil. Don't freak out if the dough starts leaking oil in information technology's container as it'due south resting. It'south normal. You don't desire the bread to exist dry. I adapted this recipe from Jerusalem A Cookbook. It's a betoken that the author strongly stresses. The dough is suppose to be super wet, don't add much flour as it changes the texture of the bread.

At present come up on, get to making Lebanese meat pies, you're gonna love 'em!

Lebanese Meat Pies (sfeehas) Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)

Lebanese Meat Pies (Sfeehas)

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • iii ⅔ cup self-rising flour + boosted more for rolling dough
  • 3 tablespoon powdered milk
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons quick-rising active dry yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon granulated saccharide
  • ¾ cup oil (such as canola or vegetable)
  • two large eggs, room temperature
  • one cup warm h2o (105 - 115 degrees F)

Sfeeha filling:

  • 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
  • i large onion, chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, diced
  • one lb. ground beef or lamb
  • ii teaspoons kosher salt
  • one teaspoon EACH: basis cinnamon AND allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ii tablespoons EACH: sumac powder, lemon juice, AND chopped parsley
  • half-dozen tablespoons tahini paste
  • two tablespoons pomegranate molasses

For serving:

  • greek yogurt + lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. FOR THE DOUGH: Put the flour, powdered milk, yeast, common salt, and sugar in a big mixing bowl. Give information technology a good whisk so that all the ingredients are mixed. Create a well in the heart, add oil and eggs to well. Using a wooden spoon, stir as you lot add together the water. When the dough starts to come up together, dump it out onto a work surface. Knead the dough for iii-four minutes. The dough will expect wet and sloppy and doesn't really hold its shape. Place it in a basin and loosely cover it with plastic wrap or a towel. Permit the dough rise in a warm spot, similar the oven (turned off, of grade) for one 60 minutes. While information technology's ascension, prepare the filling.
  2. FOR THE SFEEHA FILLING:Oestrus the ghee in a big skillet on medium oestrus. Sauté the onions for three minutes. They should only start to turn translucent. Add together the ground beef or lamb. Brown the meat for 10-12 minutes. Increase the flame to medium-loftier and add together the tomatoes. Continue to melt for 8-nine more minutes or until the tomatoes wilt and most of the liquid dries up. Add the salt, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and sumac. Requite information technology a stir. Add the tahini paste and pomegranate molasses. Let it melt for one more minute. Turn the stove off and add together the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Let the filling absurd for 15 - 20 minutes.
  3. ASSEMBLE:Divide the dough into 16 or 32 pieces depending on how y'all'd like to serve. Earlier rolling out each dough brawl spread a teaspoon or two of flour on a clean work surface. Scroll the dough brawl around so that it takes in the flour. The dough is going to feel somewhat oily, don't exist tempted to add more flour. Roll out dough into a 5-6 inch circle. Place two tablespoons of the filling in the center (for larger sfeehas, for smaller use i tablespoon). Take hold of 2 ends and bring them over the filling. Pinch dough as you get to create a seal, stop at the center. Bring the final side upwardly and pinch the centre and downwardly the two sides. Place on a parchment or silicone-lined blistering sheet, 6 per sheet for large, and 12 for app size. (run into pictures in mail service for detailed stride-by-step directions).
  4. BAKE:Position 2 rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 425ºF. Let pies residuum for at least 15 minutes while the oven is preheating. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they start turning lightly golden brown. Mine took exactly 12 minutes. Serve them warm or at room temperature with cold greek yogurt equally a dip or with lemon wedges.

Notes

  • Meat pies can exist store in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days and can be baked and frozen for upwardly to 2 months. To reheat frozen meat pies, identify in a 250ºF oven until they warm through, about 12-xv minutes.

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