this recipe makes a basic yeasted dough that can be used for different recipes, such as spinach fatayer, manaeesh, etc. this recipe comes from the Magic Cookery cookbook, compiled by the ladies' society of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles in 1987. my great grandmother was one of the contributors to the Magic Cookery and passed it on to us!
in true SWANA grandmother fashion, the recipes in this book are very sparse, so while i haven't really changed the content of the recipe, i've added just a little more detail based on my experience cooking it. you can also check out the original recipe as written in the photo. i love the vagueness of these recipes (yields 10 what??) but sometimes you need a little extra help. my full adaptation is below.
a note before you start: this recipe makes a lot of dough. depending on how many fatayer/manaeesh/etc. you want to make, consider adjusting batch size. for example, 1/2 batch of dough would easily make 16+ fateera. if you do want to make a whole batch of dough, you may need to split it into two bowls in order to be able to properly mix in the flour without it spilling.
3 c lukewarm water (about 110°)
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/8-1/4 tsp sugar
> combine the above in a bowl, mix, and let sit for 10 minutes. you should see bubbles.
6 c flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
> gradually mix in these ingredients with a fork (you may need to use your hands towards the end) in this order: 2 c flour, 1/2 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp olive oil until all ingredients are mixed in. if you are mixing in two separate bowls, cut these amounts in half. it should take three turns to get all ingredients combined.
> when everything is mixed, turn out dough onto floured surface and knead just until a smooth dough forms. you may need to add up to 1 cup flour as original recipe is written if dough is too sticky to work with.
> grease a bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place your dough in the bowl. cover it with a wet cloth/lid/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for 1.5 hours.
> when dough has risen, punch it down lightly and then form it into orange-sized balls. leave it to rise for another 15 minutes.
> the dough can now be rolled out and used for other recipes.
enjoy!!
original recipe from the Magic Cookery:
