Dandelion Green and Chard Lebanese-Style Pies

I had never used dandelion greens but from tasting the raw leaves, I thought they would be similar to kale or chard.  Since I've never made Lebanese-style pies (fatayer), I wanted to try my hand as this yummy dish.  The pies are a bit dryer than I would have liked.  Next time, I would be more careful about rolling the dough out thinner.  I definitely wouldn't try going for a 100% whole wheat dough, as this was already pretty dense.  On the plus side, the filling was very tasty and they make an easy portable snack.

Inspired by this: http://www.maureenabood.com/2012/03/22/lebanese-spinach-pies-or-fatayar-or-whatever/

Ingredients

For the Dough

1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp honey
1 1/4 cups warm water

1 cup whole wheat bread flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil

A few tbsp olive oil

For the Filling

1 large bunch dandelion greens, stems removed and chopped

1 large bunch rainbow chard, stems removed and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Large handful toasted pine nuts

Method

For the Dough

1.  Proof the yeast with the honey and 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl for about 10 minutes

2.  Blend together the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center, then pour in canola oil and proofed yeast mixture.  Blend as well as you can, then slowly add the extra cup of water until you have a sticky homogenous dough (I had about 1/4 cup of water leftover).  Knead well.

3.  Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled (about 90 min).

For the Filling

1.  Heat a large dry non-stick wok at medium high heat.

2.  When the wok is heated, add dandelion greens, chard, onions and salt.  Stir occasionally.  When juice is released, turn off heat.

3.  Add lemon juice and cinnamon to the wok and mix well.

For Assembly

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Roll out half the dough between two sheets of wax paper as thinly as possible.  Aim for about 1/8" thickness.

3.  Using a 4" circle template, cut out circles from the rolled out dough.  Place the scrap dough back with the rest of the dough.  Transfer the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4.  Spoon some filling on top of each circle.  Add 6-10 pinenuts on top of the filling.  Fold up the edges of each circle on three sides and pinch closed into a triangle shape.

5.  Roll out rest of dough and repeat steps 2 through 4.  Take the scraps and roll these out to make yet another sheet of dough.  Continue until there is no dough left.  I had to use two baking sheets to accommodate all the pies. 

6.  Brush the pies with olive oil before baking.

7. Cook each sheet of pies for 18 minutes at 375 degrees, then turn the broiler to high and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

8. These pies store well at room temperature wrapped in tin foil. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. I ended up with 14 pies, but it would be better to aim for 18-20 pies.