Meat Pies

Today I have another Middle Eastern favorite, a meat pie called Sfeeha, they are easy to make and they are assembled much like a pizza.  The dough is quick to make in a mixer with a dough hook and easy to work with.   The topping can be changed to your liking and we have successfully made versions with lamb, beef, chicken, and zatar (a spice mix made with sesame seeds and thyme.)

Meat Pies - Sfeeha

dough:
4 - 5 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 egg, beaten

In a stand mixer add the water, sugar, milk, and yeast.  Let set for 5 minutes and then add the egg, salt, oil, and butter.  Mix together and add 3 cups of flour and turn mixer on low and mix until flour is incorporated, scraping down bowl as needed.  Add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl, forming a ball around the dough hook.  The dough should not be sticky, add a little more flour if needed.  Mix for an additional 5-6 minutes.  Remove from mixer and place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  Set in a warm place to rise, about 1 hour (if using rapid rise yeast).  Dough is ready when it has doubled in size.

topping:
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1small can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup parsley, minced (optional)

In a bowl mix the ground beef, minced onion, tomato, and spices.  Heat a skillet and saute meat until browned and no pink remains.  Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients.

assembly:
Heat oven to 500 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.  Pull off an egg-sized piece of dough and flatten into a circle about 1/4 inch thick.  Place on sheet pan and repeat with remaining dough.  Top with meat mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes or until bread is puffed and brown on the edges.

If you happen to have extra dough you can top it with a mixture of olive oil and zatar or bake the remaining dough as is and serve with hummus.