Open-Faced Beef Sfiha: Soft Little Middle Eastern Meat Pies to Squeeze With Lime

Think of a tiny pizza, but softer. Now fill it with juicy spiced beef, give it a puffy golden rim and squeeze fresh lime over the top.

That is sfiha, and in some homes, a platter of them vanishes faster than you can say "dinner is ready."

A Little History in Every Bite

Sfiha (also spelled esfiha or sfeeha) is a beloved meat pie from Lebanon and Syria. When Middle Eastern families immigrated to Brazil and other parts of the Americas more than a century ago, they brought their recipes with them. Today, sfiha is so popular in Brazil that you can find it in every bakery and at nearly every birthday party.

There are two kinds. The closed sfiha is folded into a triangle, like a little pocket. The open-faced one, which we are making today, is a round of soft dough pressed into a shallow cup and filled to the brim with seasoned meat. As it bakes, the rim puffs up into a tender, golden frame.

The filling is what makes these special. Ground beef is mixed raw with finely chopped onion, tomato, parsley, a little lemon juice and warm spices like allspice and cinnamon. It cooks right on the dough in the oven, staying juicy and fragrant. A squeeze of lime or lemon just before eating brightens every bite.

The dough is a simple yeast dough, soft and easy to handle, even if you rarely bake bread. Make them for a party, a game day or a Friday night with the family, alongside a cucumber yogurt dip and a simple salad.

Let me show you everything you need for a batch.