Egyptian Fatteer Meshaltet with Tomato and Basil

About This Recipe

Fatteer meshaltet is Egypt's flaky layered pastry, made by stretching and folding dough with ghee or oil repeatedly, similar to laminated puff pastry, then baking it into a bread with distinct, pull-apart layers. It's traditionally served plain with honey and cream as a breakfast pastry, but savory versions topped with cheese, vegetables or minced meat before the final bake are equally common street-food fare in Egypt. A tomato and fresh basil topping isn't classic — most savory fatteer leans on white cheese, egg or ground meat — but it's a natural extension of the technique for a lighter, more vegetable-forward version, closer to a flatbread pizza built on real laminated dough rather than a simple crust. The dough itself is the real technical challenge: it needs to be stretched paper-thin by hand, brushed generously with ghee, and folded into a coil before being flattened again into the layered disc that bakes up with its signature shatter-crisp texture. Baked in a very hot oven until deep golden and crisp at the edges, this tomato-basil fatteer makes a satisfying light lunch or appetizer, torn apart by hand at the table the way fatteer is traditionally eaten.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 3 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 cupwarm water
• 1 tbspvegetable oil(for dough)
• 1 cupghee(melted, for laminating)
• 3tomatoes(thinly sliced)
• 1 cupfresh basil leaves
• 1 cupshredded mozzarella or Egyptian white cheese
• 0.5 tspsalt(for topping)
• 2 tbspolive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, salt, water and oil into a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide into 6 balls, coat in oil, and rest covered 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Stretch and layer

   On an oiled surface, stretch each ball paper-thin by hand. Brush generously with melted ghee, then fold and gather into a loose coil.

3. 3

   Rest the coils

   Let the coiled dough rest 15 minutes, then flatten each into a round disc about 8 inches wide, pressing gently.

4. 4

   Top the fatteer

   Preheat oven to 240C (465F). Arrange sliced tomato, basil and cheese over each disc, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle with olive oil.

5. 5

   Bake

   Bake on a hot baking sheet or pizza stone for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are deep golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbling.

Variations

• •

  Top with ground spiced beef instead of tomato and basil for a more traditional savory fatteer.

• •

  Make a sweet version by skipping the toppings and drizzling the baked, plain fatteer with honey and cream.

• •

  Add crumbled feta alongside the mozzarella for a saltier, more traditional Egyptian cheese flavor.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and hot from the oven. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat in a hot oven, not the microwave, to re-crisp the layers.

Frequently Asked Questions