Feteer meshaltet

Name: Feteer meshaltet
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g all-purpose flour; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 300 ml water, lukewarm; 150 g ghee, softened; 3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; 4 tbsp honey (optional)

Vegetarian

فطير مشلتت · Feteer meshaltet

A flaky, many-layered Egyptian pastry made by stretching dough paper-thin, brushing it with ghee and folding it over and over before baking. Eaten with honey, molasses or cheese.

Feteer meshaltet is an Egyptian pastry, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and ghee. It serves 6 and is rated advanced to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 1 h 40 min
Serves: 6
Level: Advanced
Calories: 585

Ingredients

6 servings

500 g All-purpose flour (opens in a new tab)Contains wheat, gluten
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tsp (4 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
300 ml Water (opens in a new tab), lukewarm
150 g Ghee (opens in a new tab), softenedSome cooks mix ghee with butter.Swap: ButterContains milk
3 tbsp (41 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)For stretching the dough.
4 tbsp (84 g) Honey (opens in a new tab) (optional)To serve; or molasses (black honey) with tahini.

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Mix the flour, salt and sugar (opens in a new tab), add the water and knead for 10 minutes into a very soft, smooth dough. Divide into 4 balls, coat with oil and rest covered.
- 15 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
2
Step 2
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C. On an oiled surface, stretch the first ball with oiled hands into a large, almost transparent sheet. Brush generously with ghee (opens in a new tab) and fold into a square envelope.
- 8 min
- 220°C
3
Step 3
Stretch the second ball the same way, brush with ghee (opens in a new tab), place the folded square in the centre and wrap the new sheet around it. Repeat with the remaining balls to build up layers.
- 15 min
4
Step 4
Place on a tray, press gently into a round about 25 cm across and brush the top with ghee (opens in a new tab). Bake until puffed and deep golden.
- 25 min
- 220°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Baking tray / sheet (opens in a new tab)
5
Step 5
Brush with more ghee (opens in a new tab) as it comes out of the oven (opens in a new tab), rest 5 minutes and serve warm with honey (opens in a new tab) or cheese.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Egypt · Well documentedEspecially associated with the Nile Delta countryside.More food from Egypt
Dish: Breakfast · Brunch · Snack · Pastries · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: buttery, rich, mild
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration
Cook more with: All-purpose flour · Ghee · Sugar
Techniques: Baking · Kneading

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom ghee
Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

585 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 167 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 6%
Carbohydrate 44%
Fat 50%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	585 kcal	351 kcal
Protein	8.7 g	5.2 g
Carbohydrate	64.3 g	38.5 g
Net carbohydrate	62 g	37.2 g
Sugars	0.9 g	0.6 g
Added sugars	0.7 g	0.4 g
Fibre	2.3 g	1.3 g
Fat	32.5 g	19.5 g
Saturated fat	16.1 g	9.7 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	64 mg	38 mg
Sodium	392 mg	235 mg
Salt equivalent	1 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 91 mg
Calcium: 19 mg
Iron: 3.9 mg
Magnesium: 19 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 210 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 243 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: honey.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

The dough must be very soft and well rested or it will tear when stretched.

Common mistakes

Using too little ghee between the layers — the feteer bakes dense instead of flaky.

Serve with

Serve with honey, molasses and tahini, old cheese (mish) or clotted cream.

Storage

Keeps 2 days wrapped.

Reheating

Warm in the oven for 5 minutes to re-crisp.

Variations

Savoury feteer (Egypt): Filled with cheese, sausage or minced meat between the layers.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

All-purpose flour500 g
Ghee, softened150 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 45 min
Keep the butter and dough at the same cool, pliable temperature; chill between folds.
Rest · about 30 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 25 min at 220 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 5 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
Start to finish: about 1 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
Ingredient	Role	Weight	Baker’s %
All-purpose flour	Flour	500 g	100%
Water	Water	300 g	60%
Neutral vegetable oil	Fat	41 g	8.2%
Salt	Salt	6 g	1.2%
Sugar	Sugar	4 g	0.8%

Total flour: 500 g
Hydration: 60%
With milk, eggs…: 60%
Wholegrain: 0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
Salt 1.2% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Pastry didn't puff or layers leaked butter
Likely causes
- Butter too warm and melted into the dough
- Layers sealed when cutting
- Oven not hot enough
What to do
- Chill between folds; keep everything cold
- Cut straight down with a sharp knife — don't drag
- Bake hot (200–220 °C) so the water in the butter steams the layers apart

Reviews & corrections

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