Crispy, golden, sesame-topped pastries like the ones in your photo
The photo appears to show a large rectangular puff-pastry pie filled with spinach and cheese, cut into individual squares before/after baking, and topped with sesame seeds. A spinach–feta puff-pastry combination is a common preparation, and recipes using spinach, feta, egg wash and sesame at around 180–200°C produce a very similar result.
F
foodfrom4.com
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Ingredients
For the pastry
2 sheets ready-made puff pastry, about 500–600 g total
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk or water
1–2 tbsp sesame seeds
A little flour for rolling
For the spinach filling
500 g fresh spinach, or 300–350 g frozen spinach
200 g feta cheese, crumbled
100 g mozzarella, grated — optional, but gives a stretchy filling
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 egg
2 tbsp fresh parsley or dill, chopped
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
1–2 tsp lemon juice
Salt, only as needed
The important part is removing as much water as possible from the spinach. Excess moisture is one of the main reasons filled puff pastry becomes soggy. Published spinach-and-feta recipes similarly wilt/squeeze the spinach before combining it with the cheese.
J
Jamie Oliver
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Step-by-step method
1. Prepare the spinach
Wash and roughly chop the fresh spinach.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft.
Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add spinach in batches. Cook until completely wilted and most of the visible moisture has evaporated.
Transfer the spinach to a colander and press/squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Let it cool.
For frozen spinach: thaw completely, then squeeze it very firmly. Frozen spinach works particularly well for this type of filling.
2. Make the filling
Chop the cooled spinach fairly finely.
Combine:
spinach
feta
mozzarella
1 egg
parsley/dill
black pepper
nutmeg
lemon juice
Mix well.
Taste before adding salt because feta can already be quite salty.
The finished mixture should be moist and creamy but not wet.
3. Prepare the puff pastry
Preheat the oven to:
200°C conventional / 180°C fan / 400°F
Line a large baking tray with parchment.
Place the first sheet of puff pastry on the tray. If necessary, roll it slightly so it fits your tray.
For the appearance in your photo, use approximately a 25 × 35 cm rectangle.
Lightly prick the pastry in a few places with a fork, but don’t overdo it.
4. Add the filling
Spread the spinach-and-cheese mixture evenly over the pastry.
Leave approximately 1.5–2 cm around the edges.
Don’t make the filling excessively thick; roughly 1–1.5 cm is ideal.
5. Add the top pastry
Place the second puff-pastry sheet over the filling.
Press around the edges firmly to seal.
You can use a fork to make a decorative crimp around the perimeter.
Trim excess pastry if necessary.
6. Score the squares
This is what gives you the attractive bakery-style pieces shown in the photo.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, lightly score the top into 9 or 12 rectangles/squares.
Do not cut all the way through.
For 9 pieces, make:
3 columns × 3 rows
You can also make 12 smaller pieces:
3 columns × 4 rows
Scoring before baking makes the finished pastry much easier to portion neatly.
7. Egg wash and sesame
Beat:
1 egg
1 tbsp milk or water
Brush the entire top.
Sprinkle generously with white sesame seeds.
For a more attractive finish, use a mixture of white and black sesame.
Sesame is also used as the finishing seed in several spinach-and-feta pastry preparations.
F
foodfrom4.com
+1
8. Bake
Bake at 200°C / 400°F for approximately 25–30 minutes.
Look for:
deep golden-brown pastry
visibly puffed layers
crisp edges
cooked, bubbling filling
If the top is browning too quickly, reduce the oven to 185–190°C for the final 5–10 minutes.
9. Rest and cut
Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes.
Cut along the scored lines.
This resting period helps the cheese filling firm up and makes cleaner squares.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Optional flavor upgrades
For a more Mediterranean/Greek-style filling, add:
1–2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp parsley
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon zest
a pinch of nutmeg
Spinach, feta and dill with sesame is a well-established combination in spinach pies.
J
Jamie Oliver
For a richer filling
Use:
200 g feta + 100 g mozzarella + 50–75 g cream cheese
For a more traditional salty filling
Use:
250 g feta + spinach + dill, without mozzarella.
For a little crunch
Add 1–2 tbsp toasted pine nuts to the filling.
Nut & allergy information
The basic recipe is nut-free if you do not add pine nuts or other nuts.
Important distinction
Sesame is a seed, not a tree nut, but sesame is itself a major food allergen and should be treated separately from nut allergies.
Potential allergens in this recipe:
Ingredient Allergy consideration
Puff pastry Usually wheat/gluten; check package
Feta Milk/dairy
Egg wash Egg
Sesame seeds Sesame
Pine nuts Tree nut consideration
Mozzarella Milk/dairy
Commercial puff pastry can have different ingredients and cross-contact warnings, so check the package if cooking for someone with an allergy.
If you need the recipe to be strictly nut-free, don’t add pine nuts and use a puff pastry whose label is suitable for the person you’re cooking for.❓ Recipe Q&A
Q: Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. It is one of the easiest options. Thaw it completely and squeeze it extremely well before using.
Q: Why is my puff pastry soggy underneath?
Usually because the spinach contains too much water. Squeeze the cooked spinach very thoroughly and make sure the filling has cooled before assembling.
Q: Can I make this without feta?
Yes. You can substitute ricotta, cream cheese, cottage cheese or another crumbly cheese. The flavor and moisture will change.
Q: Can I use only mozzarella?
You can, but feta provides saltiness and a sharper flavor. A combination of feta and mozzarella gives a particularly good balance.
Q: Can I prepare it ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it, cover it and refrigerate it until baking. Keep the pastry cold so it puffs properly.
Q: Can I freeze it?
Yes. It can be frozen either assembled and unbaked or after baking. For the best puff-pastry texture, freeze assembled unbaked pieces and bake from chilled/frozen, allowing additional baking time.
Q: Should I cut the squares before baking?
Score them before baking but don’t completely separate them. This gives the attractive grid pattern while keeping the filling contained.
Q: Why didn’t my puff pastry rise?
The most common causes are warm pastry, excess filling moisture, insufficiently hot oven, or an oven that wasn’t fully preheated.
Q: Can I make individual pastries instead?
Absolutely. Cut the pastry into squares, put a spoonful of filling in the center, cover with another square and seal the edges. Brush with egg and sesame, then bake until puffed and golden. Similar spinach-and-feta puff pastries are commonly baked around 180–200°C.
A
Arab News
+1
Q: Can I use filo instead of puff pastry?
Yes, but it will produce a much thinner, crispier and more layered pastry rather than the thick, flaky puff-pastry appearance in your photograph. Spinach-feta pies are also commonly made with filo.
S
salter.com
Q: What can I serve with it?
Good options are:
plain yogurt
garlic yogurt
tzatziki
cucumber salad
tomato salad
olives
hummus
Q: How do I get the exact golden color shown in the picture?
Use a whole-egg wash, not just milk. Brush evenly, sprinkle sesame generously, and bake in a fully preheated oven until deeply golden.
Best match to your photo: use 500–600 g puff pastry + 500 g fresh spinach + 200 g feta + 100 g mozzarella, make one large rectangular pie, score it into 9 squares, egg-wash heavily, cover with sesame, and bake at 200°C until deeply golden.