Cheese Fatayer (Printable Version)
Golden cheese-filled Middle Eastern pastry pockets with feta and mozzarella, perfect for mezze, snacks, or light meals.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
03 - 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 3/4 cup warm milk, plus additional as needed
→ Cheese Filling
07 - 7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
08 - 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
10 - 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds or black sesame seeds, optional
11 - 1 egg white
12 - freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ For Brushing
13 - 1 egg yolk
14 - 1 tablespoon milk or water
# How To Make It:
01 - Combine all-purpose flour, instant dry yeast, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil and mix until incorporated. Gradually pour in warm milk, kneading throughout, until the mixture forms a soft, elastic dough. Add more milk as needed for consistency. Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm environment for about 60 minutes, until volume is doubled.
02 - In a separate bowl, combine crumbled feta cheese, shredded mozzarella, finely chopped parsley, nigella seeds if desired, egg white, and black pepper. Stir the mixture well to evenly distribute ingredients.
03 - Set oven temperature to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
04 - Deflate dough and divide it into 12 equal portions. Roll each segment into a ball, then flatten into a round, approximately 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Spoon a generous tablespoon of cheese filling into the center. Fold edges over the filling to enclose, shaping into triangle or oval forms and tightly pinching seams to seal.
05 - Place formed pastries seam-side down on the lined baking sheet. Whisk egg yolk with milk or water and brush over tops of each dumpling.
06 - Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until surfaces turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dough is forgiving, even if your triangles look more like ovals—flavor always wins out.
- This filling is the kitchen’s secret for making even leftover cheese taste unbelievable.
02 -
- If you rush sealing the dough, the cheese can run wild and make sticky puddles on your baking sheet.
- Switching up the cheese filling turned out to be the best way to revive odds and ends from my fridge drawer.
03 -
- If the dough feels stubborn, cover and let it rest for ten minutes—rolling will suddenly become effortless.
- Brushing with an egg-yolk wash is the quickest way to bakery-shop shine.