Stuff Tasty Arab Bread With Any Fillings You Like in This Recipe

By Ryo Kato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:20 JST, June 29, 2025

Arab stuffed bread is easy to make and looks cute too.

Arab cuisine researcher Aki Komatsu said flatbread is the staple food in Arab regions, but it comes in a variety of shapes according to country and region. Komatsu shared recipes for two types of stuffed bread using flatbread dough.

“In Syria and Lebanon, there are specialty shops for stuffed breads, which are eaten for breakfast or as a snack,” Komatsu said. “I used to buy one for a few dozen yen on my way home from a language school in Syria. You can also enjoy arranging it.”

She shared the recipes for a triangular meat pie and a cheese boat, common pastries in Arab countries.

The same dough is used for both pastries. She kneaded it until smooth and let it rest in a bowl for about an hour. She then pressed the dough down to deflate it.

Lean ground beef works well for the meat pie. Fatty meat makes it difficult for the dough to stick together when shaping it.

Komatsu placed the meat filling on the rolled-out dough, brought the edges together to form a triangle and pinched them together tightly with her fingers. Lifting each third of the dough at a time makes it easier to shape.

For the cheese boat filling, crumbly, unstrained cottage cheese works well for sprinkling over the dough. Black cumin’s bitter and refreshing aroma adds an authentic Arab flavor to the bread. The spice is available online or at halal food shops, or it can be substituted with chopped parsley. Komatsu placed the filling over the dough before folding the edges to form a boat shape.

The bread was baked in a toaster oven until golden brown. The dough is so thin that there is little chance of it being undercooked. You won’t it mess up.

The bread has a light texture and is crunchy where the layers overlap. The ingredients can be changed to suit your taste, so once you learn to make it you’ll enjoy it even more.

Arab stuffed bread

Ingredients (serves 4):

• For dough
• 200 grams high-gluten flour
• 2/3 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
• For meat pie
• 150 grams ground beef
• 1/4 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
• 20 grams sliced black olives
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• For cheese boat
• 100 grams cottage cheese
• 10 grams unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp black cumin seeds



Directions:

1. To make the dough, put the high-gluten flour, dry yeast, granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon oil and 120 milliliters lukewarm water in a bowl. Mix with a spoon until the liquid is evenly distributed and then knead by hand.

2. Once the dough becomes smooth, shape into a ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature until doubled in size. Take the dough out of the bowl, divide it into eight equal portions and shape into balls.

3. To make meat pies, season a pan with a small amount of oil and saute the finely chopped onion and garlic. Once the onion has softened, add the beef and saute until cooked through. Season the ingredients with the sliced olives, allspice, coriander, cumin and a small amount of salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

4. Take a piece of dough, dust with flour (amount not included in ingredients) and roll out with a rolling pin to a diameter of about 13-15 centimeters. Place the meat filling in the center of the flat dough, fold into a triangle and pinch the edges together. Repeat to make four.

5. Mix all the ingredients for the cheese boat together and season with salt to taste.

6. Take a piece of dough, dust with flour (amount not included in ingredients) and roll out into an about 9-centimeter-wide, 18-centimeter-long oval shape. Spread the cheese filling over the dough leaving 1.5 centimeters around the edge. Fold the front and back edges inward and pinch the corners together to form a boat shape. Make four pieces.

7. Bake in a toaster oven for 7 to 15 minutes until golden brown and let cool for a bit before serving on a plate.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Place the meat filling in the center of the flat dough, fold into a triangle and pinch the edges together.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Fold the front and back edges inward and pinch the corners together to form a boat shape.

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