Need help finding a Spinach triangle bread recipe.
So, when I was a kid my mom used to get these triangle stuffed breads from the local farmers market. They were packed full of spinach, and I think maybe a little bit of onion and feta or lemon, as I remember them having a slight tang, but with a dominant spinach flavor, not overshadowed by onion. Perhaps a bit of seasonings beyond some salt, but I really remember a clean spinach forward taste. The bread sort of had the consistency of a tighter pizza dough, not full on big bubbles or anything. They were golden brown on the outside and roughly the size of an adult hand spread out. The tops were dusted with sesame seeds.
I can’t find them anywhere, and the guy who makes them has stopped showing up at the farmers market near my folk’s place in Northern California years ago. Searching online seems to bring up either puff pastry or spanikopita recipes, which I love, but aren’t the same. I’m trying to eat a bit healthier, and I figured I could bake up a bunch of these with half whole wheat flour and half high protein bread flour and freeze them for a quick breakfast or lunch that doesn’t leave me or my wallet feeling guilty.
They always gave me a Mediterranean vibe, but that barely narrows it down. Does this description ring a bell for anyone?
EDIT: thank you all for the help! From what I’ve seen so far I think they were Lebanese Fatayer. Definitely not Spanikopita or Afghan Bolani, because they don’t have the soft bready dough I remember. Though I had never heard of the Bolani before, so I’ll definitely try those out! Thank you u/spade_andarcher and u/AshDenver for catching on to the specifics that got us in the right track!
Posted Apr 27, 2023, 9:38 PM UTC · edited
Oh yeah, I get these all the time! I usually just see them called “spinach pies” but I believe they’re Lebanese and called fatayer - though that’s a pretty broad term that includes a bunch of different meat and cheese pies in different shapes too. If you Google “spinach fatayer” or “Lebanese spinach pie” you’ll find a bunch of recipes specifically for those triangular ones though.
And yeah, they’re excellent for a light meal. Whenever I get Lebanese takeout I always order a couple extra to eat as breakfast or lunch over the next couple days.
Omg this looks the closest of anything I’ve seen so far. Maybe our local guy just had a different prep, because they were smooth and glossy on top instead of the “fins” sticking up, but the cross section on these looks exactly like what I remember. Thank you, this may just be what I’m after!
So after some searching I found this video, which is the closest to what I remember visually! Thank you for helping me solve this mystery!
I think you’re right. My husband is from the Middle East and his sister has made these with various fillings. The tang is from sumac.
That’s gotta be it, I remember that tang vividly.