Bulbul's Nest with Meat

Ingredients

• half a kilo finely ground meat
• 570 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 350 ml (1¾ cups) warm water
• ¼ cup tahini
• ½ cup pomegranate molasses
• ¾ cup finely chopped onion
• 200 g butter
• 100 g ghee
• 3 tablespoons powdered milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar syrup (sheera)
• 100 g yogurt
• 1 teaspoon seven-spice blend
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• as desired pine nuts, for garnish
• a little oil, for greasing the bowl

Instructions

1. Place the warm water in the stand mixer bowl.
2. Add the sugar syrup and powdered milk to the stand mixer bowl, and stir them with the water.
3. Add the flour to the stand mixer bowl.
4. Add the baking powder over the flour in the stand mixer bowl.
5. Knead the ingredients in the stand mixer, then add the salt at the final stage of kneading the dough.
6. Continue kneading the dough in the stand mixer for 8 minutes, until it becomes cohesive.
7. Grease a bowl with a little oil, then place the dough in the bowl, cover it, and set it aside to rest until the meat is prepared.
8. Place the finely ground meat in a mixing bowl.
9. Add the salt, ginger, black pepper, and seven-spice blend to the meat mixing bowl.
10. Add the chopped onion, pomegranate molasses, tahini, and yogurt to the meat mixing bowl.
11. Add the pine nuts to the meat mixing bowl if desired.
12. Mix the filling ingredients by hand in the mixing bowl until combined.
13. Divide the dough into equal pieces, each weighing about 50 to 60 g.
14. Cover the dough pieces and let them rest for about 15 minutes on the work surface or in a suitable bowl.
15. Mix the butter with the ghee in a small bowl to use for laminating.
16. Roll out one piece of dough on the work surface greased with the butter-and-ghee mixture, or use a rolling pin.
17. Brush the surface of the dough piece with the butter-and-ghee mixture on the work surface.
18. Roll out a second piece of dough on the work surface and brush it with the butter-and-ghee mixture, then place it over the first piece.
19. Repeat rolling out the dough pieces on the work surface, brushing each layer with the butter-and-ghee mixture and stacking them on top of one another until all the dough is used.
20. Brush the top layer of the dough stack with the butter-and-ghee mixture on the work surface.
21. Place the dough stack on a plate, then cover the plate with plastic wrap.
22. Place the plate with the dough stack in the refrigerator until the butter firms up slightly, or place the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes if you are in a hurry.
23. Remove the dough stack from the refrigerator, then roll it out on the work surface with a rolling pin until it is evenly thick and rectangular.
24. Roll the rectangular dough tightly on the work surface, pulling the dough back as you roll so the thickness remains even.
25. Using a knife greased with ghee, cut the roll on the work surface into pieces approximately one and a half finger-widths thick.
26. Arrange the cut dough pieces in a tray and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
27. Grease a baking tray with ghee.
28. Place each dough piece in the baking tray, then press and widen it until it forms a round shape, leaving the edges slightly thicker.
29. Leave space between the dough pieces in the baking tray.
30. Place the meat filling in the center of each dough piece in the baking tray, leaving an empty border around the filling.
31. Distribute pine nuts over the filling in the baking tray if desired.
32. Preheat the oven for 15 minutes before baking at 200°C, with top and bottom heat on.
33. Place the baking tray on the lower rack or level first, so the bottom cooks.
34. Move the baking tray higher in the oven after the bottom has cooked, so the top browns.
35. Remove the baking tray from the oven when golden, then serve Bulbul’s Nest with Meat hot.