My Fata'ir - Lebanon

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the sugar and warm water, wait for it to form small bubbles. In another bowl blend the flour and baking powder*. Combine the sunflower oil, yogurt and the mixture of water and yeast; work the dough until you get a homogeneous ball that does not stick to your hands. To give structure to the dough, slam it vigorously 7-10 times on the work surface. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough; cover it with a clean cloth or cling film and store in a warm place until it doubles in size (if you don’t have time, turn the oven to 200°C, place the grid half way up, when it reaches the temperature turn off, put a kitchen towel on the grid and put the bowl containing the dough onto it. Close the oven and let it rise for 10-15 minutes.) When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into balls the size of an egg (about 12) and let them stand for 10 minutes covered with a towel. Roll out each ball of dough giving it an oval shape and place a generous amount of filling in the centre and then fold one side of the dough inward pressing lightly; at this point fold the opposite side. Repeat the same procedure with the other extremities ending up with small boat-shaped pastries. Brush with oil (or milk or egg yolk) and wait 10-15 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 200°C and once warm, place the tray in the middle for 15 minutes and then move up a level until golden brown.

• Note: if you wish to eat the fata’ir immediately after cooking, use the baking powder to increase the softness of the dough and help it rise during baking. However, if you plan to freeze or eat the fata’ir within a couple of days you do not need to add baking powder to the dough because it would make it too soft and chewy once cooled.