Feteer Meshaltet
Feteer meshaltet, whose name literally means many-layered pastry, is considered by many to be the Egyptian ancestor of pizza, a comparison Western visitors often use to describe its round shape and the toss-in-the-air stretching technique. The recipe dates back to the early pharaonic period, being one of the oldest documented types of bread from continuous Egyptian cuisine. A feteer chef's mastery is measured by the number of layers they can create — traditional masters can achieve hundreds of visible layers in a single sheet, a skill passed down through generations in families of specialized bakers. Feteer is served both as a dessert, with honey and thick cream (ishta), and as a savory dish, filled with cheese, eggs or minced meat, considered a complete meal in itself in many Egyptian households.
Dozens of layers
The dough is stretched and folded repeatedly, creating hundreds of thin sheets.
Generous ghee
Each layer is generously brushed with melted clarified butter.
Tossed and spun
The dough is thinned by tossing it in the air, like pizza dough.
Sweet or savory
Can be filled with honey and cream, or with cheese and eggs.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g flour
- 1 egg
- 250ml warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 200g melted clarified butter (ghee), plus more for brushing
- Oil for hands
- Honey for serving
- Thick cream for serving
How to make it
- 1PREPARE DOUGH: Mix the flour with the egg, water, salt and sugar, knead 10-12 minutes until very elastic.
- 2FORM BALLS: Divide the dough into 4 balls, oil them well and let rest for at least 2 hours, covered.
- 3INITIAL STRETCH: Oil a large surface and stretch each ball very thin with your hands, almost transparent.
- 4BRUSH WITH GHEE: Brush the stretched sheet generously with melted clarified butter over the whole surface.
- 5FOLD ACCORDION-STYLE: Fold the sheet into long strips, then roll the strip into a spiral, like a snail shell.
- 6FINAL REST: Let the spirals rest for 20 minutes, then gently press them flat.
- 7BAKE: Bake each feteer on an oiled griddle or tray at 200°C for 15-20 minutes, until golden and the layers visibly separate.
- 8SERVE: Serve warm, with honey and thick cream on top, or filled with cheese before baking.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
