Feteer Meshaltet — Print Recipe

A thousand layers of impossibly thin, butter-laminated dough baked to shattering, flaky perfection. This ancient Egyptian layered pastry can be served sweet with honey and cream or savory with cheese, and each gossamer layer melts on the tongue like edible gold leaf.

Ingredients

500g all-purpose flour
250ml warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
250g ghee or clarified butter, melted
Vegetable oil for stretching
Honey for serving
Clotted cream (ishta) for serving
Powdered sugar for dusting
Optional savory: feta cheese, mozzarella, or ground beef

Instructions

1 Combine flour, salt, sugar, and warm water in a bowl. Knead for 10 minutes until you achieve a very smooth, elastic, and pliable dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2 Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Oil your work surface generously and begin stretching one ball by hand, pulling from the center outward until paper-thin and nearly transparent. You should be able to read through it.
3 Brush the stretched dough generously with melted ghee. Fold the edges inward to create a layered square, brushing with more ghee between each fold. Repeat folding 3-4 times to create dozens of buttery layers.
4 Repeat the stretching and folding process with each dough ball. Stack two folded pieces together for extra layers if desired.
5 Preheat oven to 220C (425F). Place the layered dough in a round baking pan, brush the top generously with ghee, and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and deeply golden.
6 Remove from oven and immediately drizzle with honey or top with clotted cream and powdered sugar for a sweet version. For savory feteer, add cheese between the layers before baking. Serve hot and pull apart at the table.

Did You Know?

Feteer meshaltet dates back to ancient Egypt and was originally offered to the gods in pharaonic temples. Today, dedicated feteer shops across Egypt stretch the dough into dramatic, translucent sheets in theatrical displays of skill.