Cretan spinach pie with yeast dough

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 350 g wheat flour type 1050
• 100 g orange juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar, fine, white
• 15 g dry yeast
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp honey, light yellow
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Flour for the work surface
• 700 g leaf spinach, frozen or fresh
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 350 g feta cheese
• 2 m.-sized eggs
• n. B. Salt and pepper, black, freshly ground
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g white sesame seeds for garnishing
• 20 g raw pine nuts for garnishing
• e.g. extra virgin olive oil for brushing the dough

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

Mix the dried yeast with 1 tablespoon of the wheat flour, 20g of the orange juice, and a pinch of sugar. Let it rise in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix all of the dough ingredients, except the olive oil, into a crumbly dough. Then add the olive oil and knead until a semi-firm, smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size. In the meantime, wash the fresh spinach and roughly chop it. Defrost the frozen spinach and roughly chop it. Finely chop the onion and sauté in the olive oil until translucent. Add the spinach and sauté. Remove the pan from the heat, strain the contents, and let it cool. Whisk the eggs. Crumble the feta cheese, mix it into the eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Then mix the egg and cheese mixture with the spinach leaves. Briefly knead the dough and flour the work surface. Divide the dough into two portions, 60% and 40% by weight. First, roll out the larger portion into a sheet approximately 2 mm thick, enough to cover the bottom and edges of the baking dish. Place the sheet of dough in the baking dish and brush the inside thinly with olive oil. Spread the filling in the baking dish and smooth it out. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Roll out the second portion of dough to a thickness of approximately 2 mm, enough to completely cover the filling. Place the sheet of dough in the baking dish and brush the edges with water. Then fold the edges of the bottom sheet over the top sheet and press down lightly. Brush the top cover with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds and pine nuts. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown. After 20 minutes of baking, reduce the temperature to 170 degrees Celsius. Serve the finished spinach pie hot in the casserole dish with white bread. Accompany with a full-bodied red wine or a cold beer. Recipe source: Mr. Olympios, Armonia Hotel, Crete.