Spinach pastry triangles (Fatayer sabanekh)

[sister herb]

Dough
4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of yogurt

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) olive oil

pinch of salt

one sachet (2 1/2 teaspoons) dried yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup warm water (divided into 1/4 cup for proofing the yeast and 3/4 for kneading the dough)

Spinach filling

1 kg fresh spinach (or 500 g frozen spinach with the water squeezed out)(See notes)

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 green onion finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sumac (optional)

2-4 tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or (depending on how tart you like the filling to be) See notes


Instructions
To make the dough
Proof the yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. (proofing the yeast means mixing it with sugar and water and waiting for it to foam and bubble. Foaming means that the yeast is active and good to work with and this should take 10-15 minutes at most)
While waiting for the yeast to proof, add the salt to the flour then add the olive oil and rub it into the flour with your finger tips.
Add the yogurt and again rub it into the flour.
When the yeast has bubbled, add it to the flour mixture, and mix
Gradually add in the water, you may need a little more of less as different flours absorb water differently. You need to add water and knead the dough until it is smooth and round.
Brush a bowl with a little oil, place the dough in it and drizzle some more oil to keep it from drying
Let the dough rise in warm place covered with a moist towel until it doubles in size. This should take about one hour depending on how warm or cold the weather is

Prepare the stuffing
If using frozen spinach: Defrost and thaw out the spinach. Place it in a colander and squeeze out as much juice as possible. You want it to be very dry.
If using fresh spinach: chop the spinach then place it in a pot and wilt for 2-5 minutes over medium low heat. Allow the spinach to cool then squeeze out as much juice as possible. You want the spinach to be very dry

Chop the onions very fine and add them to the spinach.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and sumac. Add the spices and lemon juice immediately before stuffing the pastry. If you do it too early the stuffing will be too wet. If the stuffing is too wet, it will open up the turnovers.
Cut the dough into egg sized pieces.
Roll out each piece into a circle
Add 1-2 tablespoons of stuffing
Pinch 2 ends first and then the third to form a pyramid.(If you have a little trouble with sealing the dough, dip your finger tips in flour.)

Place the fatayer on a greased cookie sheets and make sure all the fatayer are sealed well .
Bake them on the middle rack of a preheated oven at 270 C. for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden.
Turn on the broiler until the tops are golden
Cool the fatayer on a wire rack

Notes

Can I add other greens to the spinach pastry stuffing? Yes, you can replace part of the spinach with oregano, collard green or kale

Lemon juice or citric acid traditionally these spinach fatayer were made with lemon juice and consumed immediately. The problem with using lemon juice if that it makes the filling wet and this can cause the pastry triangles to open during baking or to turn slightly soggy if you store them for a couple of days. To get the tart taste without the extra fluid you can use citric acid. Citric acid is a week organic acid that is used to add a tart or sour taste to food and it is used to acidify milk in cheese making.

Tart or mild the use of sumac, citric acid or lemon juice is meant to add a tart taste to the spinach filling. You can make these spinach triangles without them and enjoy a mild fatayer. If you choose to use them, the amount is up to your taste. The amounts in the recipe are suggestions. Add them little by little and adjust the amounts according to your taste.

Shapes: You can shape these fatayer or pastry in any shape you like. Any form that encloses the filling is fine.Here is one more suggestion on how to fold them