Pastries have their special place on the Ramadan iftar table. I personally don’t make them frequently in ramadan because I rarely have the time but when I do, this labneh and cheese galette is one of my go to recipes.

A Galette is a term used in the French cuisine to refer to various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes or pastries. They can be savory or sweet with fillings ranging from fruit to cheese and everything in between.

I personally like making my galette with a middle eastern twist. I use labneh, akawi cheese, herbs and olives. The result is a wonderful melody of flavors that plays beautifully against the crust.
Instead of the usual galette buttery crust, I use a simple dough enriched with milk, eggs and a little oil. The dough is much more forgiving in the heat of the UAE and my kids prefer its softer texture.

Why a galette you may ask?

Making  the pastry into one galette instead of individual small servings saves time which is always a plus in ramadan. You can also decorate the galette with shaved cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (or sundried tomatoes if you like) for a beautiful presentation when you have people over. A show stopper that requires a fraction of the time that a plate full of mini pastries require. A win win situation in my book.

Whenever I prepare a meal from scratch, I try to use local products as much as I can, that’s why I used Jenan’s eggs and flour for this recipe. Supporting local businesses is a cause I believe in, besides local products are almost always more fresh and of better quality. 🙂

Labneh and Akawi cheese galette

For the dough

2 and 3/4 cups of patent all purpose flour (see notes)

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons milk powder

1/4 teaspoon ground mahlab

1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon nigella seeds

1 eggs

1/3 cups vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3  cup of water (you may need an additional ¼ cup)

Filling

400 g mildly salty akawi cheese grated

225 g labneh

1/2 cup pitted black olives

2 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped(or two teaspoons dried)

1/4 cup fresh mint chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of black pepper

To brush the dough

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar

sesame seeds

nigella seeds

 

To  prepare the filling

Mix all the filling ingredients and set aside

To make the dough

1. Sift the flour and mix it with the powdered milk, instant yeast and the seeds
2. Add the oil and rub it into the flour mix with your fingertips till the flour completely absorbs the oil and the consistency resembles wet sand (You can also do this in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment)
3. Whisk the 1 eggs with 1/2 cup of warm water and add them to the flour mixture. Start kneading (If using a stand mixer now is the time to switch to a hook attachment)
4. Add water gradually till you get a smooth dough.
5. Cover the dough and allow it to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes
6. Traditionally ghee is used to grease the pan, this gives a wonderful crunch to the underside of the bread. You can use parchment paper or simply spray the pan with oil
7. Roll out the dough into a circle at least 4 to 5 cm larger than the diameter of your pan. Transfer the dough to the pan leaving the excess to hang over the edges
   
8. 
9. Spread the filling to cover the base of the dough
   
10. Fold the edges over to cover the periphery of the filling
    
11. Whisk one egg with one tablespoon vinegar  and brush it over the edges that you folded over
12. Sprinkle with sesame seeds
13. Allow to rest for 15 minutes

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C, place the rack in the middle

2. Bake  for 30 minutes or until the edges that touch the pan become golden brown (it took 45 minutes in my oven but ovens vary)

3. If the top is not golden brown, turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes till it becomes golden brown

فطيرة الجبنة و اللبنه بالزيتون  و الاعشاب
3/4 2 كوب دقيق فاخر

1 ملعقة طعام خميرة

2 ملعقة طعام حليب بودرة

1/4 ملعقة صغيرة لكل من ( حبة البركة -شمر مجروش – محلب مطحون )

بيضه

1 معلقة صغيرة ملح

1/3 كوب زيت طبخ عادي

2/3 كوب ماء دافئ للعجن

الحشوة :

400 جرام جبنه عكاوي قليله الملح

225 غم لبنه
1/2 كوب زيتون اسود بدون بذور

للوجه :

بيضه

ملعقه كبيره خل

سمسم

الطريقة :

ننخل الدقيق ونضع عليه الخميرة ونخلطهم

ثم نضع الزيت ونبسهم باطراف الاصابع ليصبح مثل الرمل

نخلط البيضه مع  نصف كميه الماء ونضيفهم للدقيق ونعجن ثم نضيف باقي الماء بالتديج وبحسب حاجة العجينة

نترك العجين تتخمر حتى تتضاعف

ندهن صينية بالسمن( ليعطيها قرمشة من اسفل )

نفردالعجينة  بحيث تكون اكبر من محيط صينيه الخبز و ننقلها للصينيه تاركين اطراف العجين متدليه  فوق اطراف الصينيه ونتركها تخمر 15 دقيقة ..

نخلط كل مكونات الحشوه و نوزعها فوق العجين

نخلط بيضة مع الخل وندهن اطراف العجينة ونرشها سمسم

ندخلها فرن ساخن على 180  حتى تحمر من اسفل والجوانب نحمرها من فوق شوية