Zaatar flat bread(Fteer Falahi)

Today Iam going to share with you a traditional Palestinian recipe that is so popular in this time of the year,"Fatayer Zaatar" or "Fteer Falahi" in Arabic, which literally means villagers’ pie!, it is a Palestinian pastry that is made mainly with fresh Zaatar (Thyme) leaves.

A flat bread, stuffed with fresh zaatar leaves, onions and sumac. In this kind of bread a generous amount of Olive oil is used, as it is known that zaatar and olive oil are both a twin ingredients in middle eastern cuisine and specially in Palestinian food.

Zaatar is the Arabic word of thyme, a wild herb that grows throughout hills and fields of the Levant and East Mediterranean regions. The distinguished aroma of Zaatar/thyme has always taken me back to a beautiful memories of my Palestine.....

It is a simple dough that is made of flour, yeast and water, but the fresh ingredients used in the filling are the secret here for this feeling one can get with every bite! :)

will leave you now with the recipe,

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Zaatar bread(Fteer falahi)

Ingredients :

1 kg all purpose flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2- 2.1/4 cups warm water for kneading the dough(amount of water vary according to kind of flour) .

3/4 cup oil (a mix of 1/2 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup vegetable oil) put in deep small bowl and keep aside to use for brushing dough.

Filling ingredients :

4 cups fresh zaatar leaves (thyme), washed thoroughly and drained well.

1 big size onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoon sumac

Salt and black pepper as desired.

2 Tablespoons olive oil.

Directions :

- In a 1/4 cup of warm water dissolve the yeast and sugar, cover and wait for the yeast to bubble.

- In a medium size bowl, add flour,salt and 2 Tbspoons olive oil ,rub the mixture together until oil is well combined into the flour,add the yeast/water mixture and start kneading adding water gradually till you get a soft sticky dough. (I needed 2.1/4 cups of warm water but the amount varies with the kind of flour used).

- Brush dough with the oil mix, cover the bowel with a plastic bag and put it in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

- Meanwhile. prepare the filling: over medium heat add olive oil to a pan, add chopped onion and stir just until it become transparent in color.Turn off heat, place onion over zaatar leaves, add sumac,salt and black pepper. Mix all and keep aside.

- Dip your hands in the oil-mix , cut off the dough to form 4 balls,brush each ball with the oil mixture. Place dough balls in a greased pan and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

- Brush a pan or your working surface with a little oil, start with the first dough ball you cut and spread it as shown here :

Step2 :

Now you should have a square dough.

Allow this one to rest while you start working on the next one and repeat with all dough balls. Return back to the first square and brush it with oil and spread it into a rectangle shape using a rolling-pin or your hands. Always dip yours hands in oil while kneading.