It's the first step in making the multilayered pastries he's become famous for in the Al-Am'ari refugee camp in Ramallah. The last step is pouring syrup over a tray of the golden pudding-filled pastries just out of the oven, filling his shop with a sweet-tasting steam.
Palestinians here in the West Bank typically line up to buy these treats to celebrate Eid, the conclusion of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. But this year, there's no line out the door and barely any pastries. This is one of the only batches he's making, a pistachio-laced gesture for a few friends.