Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)

A recipe for Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)! Aish Baladi (Egyptian Bread) is filled with a spiced meat mixture and baked until cooked through and golden.

Baking Bloggers

Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to vote on a different baking project.

It has been a while since I have been able to join the fun, but for September we are featuring Ground Meats & Mince Baking and I am sharing a recipe for Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)!

Check out more of my #BakingBloggers recipes here: Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns), Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets), and Broyé du Poitou (Shortbread from Poitiers).

Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)

I was so excited to make this Hawawshi to pair with today’s event! Hawawshi (حواوشي‎) is an Egyptian stuffed bread filled with a layer of spiced meat and baked until cooked through and golden.

Stuffed flatbread is an absolute favorite of mine and I especially love how this recipe can come together with already baked bread.

Created in 1971 by Egyptian butcher Ahmed al-Hawawsh, this street food was originally sold from his food stall at Souk Al-Tawfik in Cairo. Variations have now spread through the country and neighboring regions.

Ground beef is combined with a variety of spices, chopped onion, bell pepper, tomato, and parsley, then carefully stuffed into pieces of Aish Baladi (Egyptian flatbread). Each side of the bread is brushed with ghee or butter before placing in the oven.

I paired the baked Hawawshi with this tahini sauce from Amira’s Pantry. It would also be perfect with a salad, pickled vegetables, and/or fries.

I made homemade Aish Baladi for the Hawawshi. I particularly love this recipe from Scarf Gal Food with a combination of white and whole wheat flour along with detailed step by step instructions. If not available, you can use a store-bought thick pita bread.

A Few Tips

After combining the spices and vegetables with the meat, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend.

I added half of a jalapeño to the mixture. Adjust this amount higher or lower based on desired spice level.

Make sure to remove all the seeds from the tomato before dicing. Any excess moisture will cause the bread to become soggy.

I cut a small slit into the side of the bread and gently added 1/4-1/3 cup of the meat, then pressed down to arrange the meat into an even layer. You can also cut each piece of bread in half to create two halves with pockets for adding the meat.

Don’t overfill the bread or it won’t be able to cook through. The exact baking time may vary based on the thickness of the meat mixture. Chad likes the meat about the same thickness as featured in these photos. I generally like them a bit thinner.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. After cooking and cooling to room temperature, the Hawawshi can be frozen in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, bake straight from the freezer in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until heated through.

I cut the Hawawshi into halves to serve, but have also seen them arranged in quarters.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Baked Chicken Fingers by Sneha’s Recipe
• Baked Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Bierocks (German Beef & Cabbage Stuffed Rolls) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Pierogi Shepherd’s Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tater Tot Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s Pie) by Palatable Pastime
• Turkey Zucchini Feta Meatballs by Food Lust People Love

Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread) Recipe

Adapted from The Mediterranean Dish

Print Pin

Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)

A recipe for Hawawshi (Egyptian Meat Stuffed Bread)! Aish Baladi (Egyptian Bread) is filled with a spiced meat mixture and baked until cooked through and golden.

Course Main

Cuisine Egyptian

Keyword beef, bread, Egypt, Egyptian, meat, sandwich

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Hawawshi

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 grams) ground beef not lean
• 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 tomato seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper optional, stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup (5 grams) fresh parsley chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 6 Aish Baladi Egyptian wheat flatbread
• Ghee or melted butter for brushing

Instructions

• In a large bowl, gently mix the ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato, bell pepper, jalapeño, parsley, salt, allspice, paprika, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg just until combined.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Preheat oven to 400˚ (200˚C).
• Carefully cut a small slit on one side of the bread or pita about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide. Gently add about 1/4-1/3 cup of the meat mixture and press across the top to push the meat into an even layer. Repeat with remaining bread and meat.
• Another option is to cut each piece of bread in half and fill each half with the meat mixture.
• Brush each side of the filled bread with ghee and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until the meat is cooked through and the bread is golden, about 20-25 minutes.
• Cut the bread in halves or quarters and serve with tahini sauce, salad, fries, and/or pickled vegetables.