Dough for Fried Spinach Pies

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk (add more if needed depending on the flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Filling:
• Washed, chopped spinach
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• A pinch of sumac
• Lemon juice to taste
• Salt to taste
• Hot chili powder to taste (optional)
• Olive oil as needed
• Note:
• This dough is baked first then fried because it does not brown well from baking alone — it’s specially made for fried pies. Since the spinach won’t be fully cooked by frying alone, we bake then fry.
• If the filling is something other than spinach (for example cheese or meat), you can fry them directly without baking.
• All-Purpose Dough is a recipe we recommend learning
• For more tasty pastries see: Sfiha Meat Pie

Method

1. Start with the dough: mix all its ingredients together and knead well; add the liquid milk and knead as needed.
2. Let the dough for the fried spinach pies rest for one hour to proof; cover and leave it in a warm place.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: mix all the filling ingredients together and squeeze out excess water before filling so the dough doesn't become soggy.
4. Roll out the dough and cut it into circles; fill them with the spinach mixture and fold closed.
5. Place the spinach pies on an oiled baking tray and bake them in the oven, then fry them in oil in a skillet.
6. Note:
7. The reason for frying the pies after baking is that this dough does not brown in the oven — it is intended for fried pies. And because spinach doesn't cook through by frying alone, we bake the pies first and then fry them.
8. If the filling is something other than spinach, such as cheese or meat, fry them directly without baking.
9. A versatile dough — one of the recipes we recommend you learn.
10. For more delicious pastries, here's the link: Lahm bi Ajeen (sfiha).