spinach triangles
heavy on the sumac & za'atar, inspired by my local lebanese bakery
my local lebanese bakery (A1 bakery, for those in the know) cruelly went away on holidays for a week right as I was craving their spinach triangles, so this is my take on them
loosely based on the recipe published in broadsheet
makes four triangles
ingredients
dough
2 tsp honey
0.25 tsp yeast
180mL warm water
220g plain flour, plus more for dusting
0.25 tsp salt
1 tsp sumac
1 tbsp za’atar
pinch ground nutmeg
2 tsp olive oil
spinach filling
2 tsp olive oil
0.5 white onion, diced
25mL lemon juice (or white vinegar and a pinch of citric acid)
200g baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp za’atar
1 tsp dried garlic granules
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
salt to taste
optional: chilli flakes to taste
optional: sesame seeds to top
method
dough
add the honey (2 tsp), yeast (0.25 tsp) and warm water (180mL) to a small bowl and set aside
sift together the flour (220g), salt (0.25 tsp), sumac (1 tsp), za’atar (1 tbsp) and a pinch of ground nutmeg in a large bowl
make a well in the centre and pour in the water mixture, stirring to combine into a shaggy dough
add the olive oil (2 tsp) and stir to incorporate (it will be a sticky, loose dough)
if kneading by hand, knead by lifting the centre of the dough, letting the end fall under their own weight, replacing in the centre, and then turning the bowl by 90 degrees and repeating until the dough has firmed up into a loose ball (if using a stand mixer, mix for 10 minutes with the dough hook attachment)
cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes
scrape the dough out onto a very well floured benchtop, and divide into four even portions
shape each portion into a ball and roll in flour
cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling
spinach filling
in a large pan, add the olive oil (2 tsp) and diced onion (0.5 whole) and cook over low heat until lightly caramelised
add the lemon juice (25mL), chopped spinach (200g), sumac (1 tbsp), za’atar (1 tbsp), dried garlic (1 tsp), ground nutmeg (0.25 tsp) then cover and let cook until the spinach has wilted
stir, and season with salt (and optional chilli flakes) to taste
transfer the spinach mixture to a colander to drain off some of the liquid
let cool for 10 minutes
assembly
working with one dough ball at a time, pat it out into a circle about 15cm diameter
place a quarter of the spinach mixture into the centre
pinch together the dough firmly to enclose the spinach and keep from leaking in the oven (I did mine in a triangle, but you could also fold over one edge to make a pastie shape)
repeat with the remaining dough balls
optional: brush with oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on top
preheat oven to 220°C (fan-forced)
bake for 15-20 minutes
best eaten warm out of the oven
