Are you ready, guys, to make an extraordinary Lebanese crowd-pleaser with me?

I’m guessing most of you have an idea about these Lebanese meat pies, which we call sfeeha in Lebanon. They are served as part of a Lebanese mezze or as a main dish, accompanied by plain yogurt. Whether eaten as a snack or as a main meal, sfeeha always satisfies—and eating them all day long would be wonderful if only my waist would allow it!

Their crispy exterior and steamy, soft meat filling make them one of the ultimate comfort foods. You will find sfeeha at bakeries all over Lebanon. These little hand pies are portable, delicious, and absolutely irresistible!

The best place to go for sfeeha is the city of Baalbek, also known as the City of the Sun, where impressive archaeological ruins of Roman temples and monuments surround the city, making it a major tourist destination! If you visit Lebanon, be sure to put Baalbek on your agenda—and don’t miss these insanely decadent treats!

About the Dough!

• The recipe may sound laborious since you’ll be making the dough from scratch! I think the biggest obstacle for people is the fear of making yeast dough recipes like sfeeha, especially for beginner bakers, as they often find working with yeast intimidating. But I think this dough is a great place to start, even for beginners!
• Don’t be afraid to work with yeast! This is a straightforward, foolproof dough recipe.
• This is such a versatile dough. It can be used to make mini manakish, spinach fatayer, calzones, mini pizzas, and turnovers, so I think it’s well worth learning and keeping in your repertoire.
• Use whole milk to make the dough, and never use skim milk.
• When making the dough, the milk should be lukewarm—never hot. Hot milk can kill the yeast, which means your dough won’t rise.
• Kneading the dough by hand is pretty simple. I love kneading all my yeast doughs by hand—I’m old-school! But you can absolutely use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if you prefer.
• Slam the dough onto a lightly floured countertop a couple of times. This helps strengthen the gluten in the flour, resulting in a very light and fluffy dough.
• Watch the video!

About the Filling!

• Traditionally, sfeeha pies are made with lamb meat, but if you’re worried that lamb might be too strong for you, beef can be used instead — though my personal preference is definitely lamb!! Fatty meat is advisable; avoid using lean meat.
• A quick word about the filling: the tomatoes and onions can be hand-chopped, but I prefer to put them both (onions and tomatoes) in a food processor and blitz them into a smooth blend. Do not add the minced meat to the food processor!
• Some people add pomegranate molasses and tahini to the filling, but I simply don’t! I don’t want anything to overpower the flavor of the lamb meat. I prefer to season it with just a very small pinch of seven-spice, cinnamon powder, and chili powder.
• Strain the filling before shaping the sfeeha to get rid of any excess liquid and prevent the sfeeha from unraveling while baking.

Shaping the sfeeha is an art and a skill!

Making sfeeha is an art form and a labor of love. It takes some skill and a little bit of practice to make them perfect. I hope this video will make it easier for you to learn! I have provided you with two ways to shape these little morsels.

The square-shaped ones are the classic style found in most bakeries. To make them, you pinch together two opposing ends of the round dough, creating a square shape.

The second shape, which I personally prefer, is the flower-shaped sfeeha, where you crimp the edges around the filling, creating pleats as you go!

It takes some skill and a little bit of practice to perfect them. I guess the video will make it easier for you to learn!

A few days ago, we were invited by the founder of “Ajyal” in Kinshasa and had the pleasure of meeting some lovely ladies who were eager to learn how to make sfeeha.

We finished the workshop with an interactive session on shaping and baking sfeeha. The ladies were able to shape the sfeeha brilliantly after just a few trials—I was thrilled! It was such a fun and enjoyable class.

Many thanks, Mrs. Khadija, to you and your wonderful team.

Watch the video to get a glimpse of the lovely atmosphere we shared and to learn how to make and shape sfeeha!

Can You Freeze Sfeeha?

Sfeeha freeze very well, which makes them a quick and easy dinner with some yogurt on a busy weeknight. They also make a great solution for unexpected guests, parties, and gatherings.

Once the sfeeha are baked and cooled, wrap any leftovers individually in plastic wrap. They freeze beautifully for up to three months.

How to Reheat Frozen, Baked Sfeeha?

Reheating baked sfeeha in the oven is far better than using a microwave here. The microwave converts moisture into steam, which softens the sfeeha as they heat and can leave them soggy.

Place the frozen sfeeha directly on the oven rack and warm them at 200°C/400°F for a couple of minutes, or until heated through.

But let’s be honest: sfeeha are at their best when they’re fresh out of the oven! Your house will smell warm and welcoming. My family invades the kitchen as soon as I pull them from the oven, and I’m always warning them, “Allow them to cool for a few minutes so you don’t get burned!”

Most of them get eaten right away, and rarely does anything make it into the freezer! They’re easy to make, so don’t shy away from making sfeeha. It’s a fun project!

Happy eating!

• Check our Lebanese Meat Fatayer/ Lebanese Meat Turnovers
• Another meat pie worth checking out Gaziantep Lahmacun
• A great Lebanese appetizer worth learning about: Lebanese Cheese Sambusek!

Review:

Elizabeth said:”I made these in ramadan and they were soooo good, not only taste authentic but look great too. I make them all the time since,i was surprised how easy the dough is. I wish I could post my pictures as they just look fantastic every time. You saved some hungry fasting people this year! Thanks.”

Sfeeha (Lebanese Meat Pies)

5 from 1 vote

Prep: 1 hour hour

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Servings 45 pieces

Course

Appetizer

---

Breakfast

---

MAIN DISHES

---

pies

---

Side

---

Snack

Cuisine

#Middle Eastern

---

Lebanese

---

Mediterranean

---

RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORD

Print Pin Review

Description

Sfeeha always satisfies, and eating them all day long would be wonderful—if only my waist would allow it! Their crispy exterior and steamy, tender meat filling make them one of my favorite comfort foods. You’ll find sfeeha at bakeries all over Lebanon. These delicious hand pies are portable, satisfying, and absolutely irresistible!

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the Dough

• ▢ 1 kg / 2 lb 4 oz all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup sunflower oil
• ▢ 2¼ cups whole milk

For the Meat Filling

• ▢ 500 g / 1 lb 2 oz minced lamb
• ▢ 2 small onions diced
• ▢ 4 medium-sized tomatoes chopped (no need to peel)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon seven-spice or allspice
• ▢ Chili flakes optional

Canola or sunflower oil, for greasing the baking sheets

Instructions

 

• Start making the dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, active dry yeast, sugar, salt, and oil. Add the lukewarm milk and mix well.
• Knead the dough until it has a smooth, even texture. Slam it a couple of times onto the countertop before covering it with cling film. This will strengthen the gluten in the flour, resulting in a very light and fluffy dough. Watch the video!

  Set aside for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
  
• In the meantime, prepare the meat filling: Place the tomatoes and onions in a blender and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender.
• Transfer the puréed tomatoes to a bowl. Add the minced meat, salt, spices, and chili flakes, if using. Stir well to thoroughly combine the mixture.
• Strain the filling to remove any excess liquid. This is a crucial step to prevent the sfeeha from unravelling while baking.
  
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Place the rack in the center of the oven.
• When the dough has doubled in size, flour a countertop and divide the dough into equal-sized balls, roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.
• Stretch each piece of dough into a round circle about ½ cm thick using a rolling pin. Make sure to flour the countertop and rolling pin from time to time to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Place a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of each circle of dough. Watch the video above to learn how to shape the dough. I’ve provided two ways to shape the sfeeha, so choose whichever method you prefer!

  The classic way is to pinch the two opposite ends of the round dough together, creating a square-shaped sfeeha.
  
• Another way to shape sfeeha is to crimp the edges around the filling, creating pleats as you go. Watch the video for a visual demonstration—it’ll make the process easier to understand!
  
• Lightly grease two large baking sheets with oil. Place the sfeeha on the greased baking sheets, making sure not to overcrowd them.
• Bake each sheet for about 12 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon juice for an extra kick, or with some plain yogurt or Purslane Yogurt Salad on the side. Total joy!!
  

Video

Notes

If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine

Check our Lebanese Meat Fatayer/ Lebanese Meat Turnovers

Another meat pie worth checking out Gaziantep Lahmacun

A great Lebanese appetizer worth learning about: Lebanese Cheese Sambusek!

Keyword dough, meat pies

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!