Yafawi Sfeeha

This month we were given a challenge that I had never heard of before. It's a Palestinian dish called Yafawi Sfeeha. Although it looks challenging to make, I found it easier than I thought it would be. And it is worth every minute you spend on it, especially if eaten warm!

The Sfeeha has a flaky texture. It's very soft and delicious. I loved the hint of mint that came out with the warm feta cheese. 

We were given three options for the filling: a lamb/beef, a hard cheese (feta), or a sweet walnut. As some of my audience is vegetarian, I opted for the feta and paired it with some mint. (Yum!)

When making the dough, you can add more flavor and texture of you use ghee. It's not hard to make and doesn't need to be refigerated. (See Alton Brown's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ghee-recipe.html)

Ingredients:

To make the dough:

3 cups (750 ml) (420 gm) (15 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour, scoop flour using cup measure then level

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) sugar

3 tablespoons (45 ml) powdered milk (you can substitute this with warm milk, you will need less water if using milk)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
About 1 cup (250 ml) warm water for kneading
Melted ghee (or olive oil) to stretch the dough (ghee gives a great texture and flavor).

Directions:

1.Mix flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and vegetable oil then start adding the warm water until you get a tender and slightly sticky dough. Kneading will take about 8 min on a stand-up mixer or 12 min by hand. you might need more depending on where you live and the kind of flour you are using).

2.Form the dough into small golf-ball-sized balls. Place on a baking sheet that is very well greased with ghee or olive oil and pour some more (oil or ghee) over dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for few hours at least (or overnight).

3.Prepare filling in the meantime.

4.After you have your filling ready, use some of the ghee to brush a round tray (the surface that you will be working on). Take one piece of dough and using your hands, gently start spreading it as thinly and evenly as possible. (It was actually pretty easy to spread- I thought it would be harder.)

5. Once that is done fold the upper side to the middle, then fold the opposite side to the middle as well.
   
   
   
   

   
   

   6. Spread your filling in a long line across the dough. Roll like a long tight rope making sure that it is tight enough to ensure no filling escapes. Then taking one end start rolling the rope towards the inside in a spiral shape (see photo). 
   (Note: I used a different Sfeeha for the next few pictures.)
   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   7. Put some more ghee on your baking sheet and place the done Sfeeha onto the baking sheet. Continue making the rest of your Sfeeha using ghee to keep it nice and moist. (Mine made about 16 and I had a little filling left.)

   

   
   

   8. Preheat oven to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 and bake Sfeeha for 15-20 minutes till golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature with a bowl of soup during winter or a salad and Greek yogurt in summer time.

   Cheese Filling:

   Ingredients:

   3-4 cups Nabulsi cheese, crumbled (You can use feta or Halloumi if you like but you need a reasonably hard and salty white cheese.) (I used feta and mint.) 

   ½ cup Italian parsley, minced (you can use fresh mint or fresh za’tar)

   1 egg, beaten

   Black pepper

   Directions:

   Mix ingredients and your cheese filling is ready.

   

   
   

   It's worth the time for this recipe. It was a hit with my family- even my nephew liked it. I will be making it again in the future.
   
   
   For the link to the Sfeeha recipe (and the other filling options) go to:

   http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/yafawi-sfeeha

   
   

   Happy Baking Adventures Everyone!

   -Brooke

Charlotte Russe

This month's Daring bakers' challenge was to create either a Charlottle Royale or a Charlottle Russe. The latter was my choice, and it turned out to be a delicious creation!

There is a layer of cake at the bottom, and the treat is surrounded by ladyfingers. On the inside there is a Bavarian cream followed by a rhubarb mousse and a rhubarb glaze. 

I really liked working with the rhubarb! The sugar sweetened it, but it still added some tanginess. (I can't wait to do more with it!)

There are all sorts of variations that you can create! While it was a little bit of work, the end result was a light and delicate dessert. It would work well for a special event. 

My husband especially enjoyed this. He doesn't eat many sweets, so this was a special treat! 

For the cake and Bavarian cream recipes, go to: http://www.thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/charlottes

For the rhubarb mousse and glaze recipes, follow: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/rhubarb-mascarpone-mousse-cake-395015

(I used cream cheese instead of the mascarpone in mine.)