Khaliat Al Nahl Recipes

YEMENITE HONEYCOMB BREAD (KHALIAT AL NAHL)

Steps:

• Activate the yeast by adding it to ¼ cup warm milk. Then add in the sugar, salt, flour, yogurt, egg, butter, ¼ cup sugar, and water. Add the water in slowly and stop when the dough is smooth but not too sticky to work with. Knead for about 15 minutes until smooth.
• Let the dough rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. If it is cold in your house, try placing in the oven (not turned on).
• Grease a 14 inch round baking pan or 2 smaller baking pans if you prefer. Separate the dough into 48 equal sized pieces. I do this by first splitting it into 3 equal pieces then splitting each piece in half to make six, then in half again to make 12, 24, 48 etc.
• Cut the cheese into 48 pieces also. I used 12 kiri cheeses which I cut each into 4 smaller pieces. Take a piece of the dough and flatten it out. Then place a piece of cheese inside. Pinch it closed with your fingers and roll it into a smooth ball.
• Place it into the prepared pan. Continue with the rest of the dough until you have finished. You need to leave about ½ space between the dough balls to allow room for them to rise. Cover and let rise until doubled in size for 1-1.5 hours.
• Paint the tops of the dough with 1 tablespoons milk. Then sprinkle black and white sesame seeds on top. Place in preheated 375 F oven for 20-25 minutes.
• In the meantime prepare the sugar syrup by heating 2 cups sugar an 1 cup water over medium high heat. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoons of orange blossom water. (You can also substitute the flavor of your choice).
• Remove the buns from the oven and pour the sugar syrup on the top.

KHALIAT NAHAL

Steps:

• For the bread: Add 1/4 cup lukewarm water (between 105 and 110 degrees F) to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Using a fork, mix gently to combine and let sit until the mixture starts to bubble and foam, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the milk to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the 5 tablespoons of room temperature butter, sugar and salt. Simmer just until the butter melts, about 1 minute, then remove from the heat. It should not be scalding, so let it cool for a bit before adding to the mixture.
• Add the egg and 3 3/4 cups of the flour to the bloomed yeast and mix with a fork. Slowly pour in the milk mixture, using the fork to make a shaggy dough. Knead with the dough hook attachment of the stand mixer or your hands for 3 to 4 minutes. The dough should be soft and a bit tacky but should not stick to your hands. If it's sticky, keep adding flour in 1 tablespoon increments until you have a non-sticky consistency. If using a stand mixer, the dough should slide right off when you pull up the dough hook.
• Grease a 12-inch pie pan or 12-inch cast-iron skillet with nonstick spray. Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle with flour. Divide the dough evenly into 32 pieces. Flatten each piece and place 1 cream cheese square in the center. Form the dough into balls around the cream cheese squares and place next to each other in the greased pan. Once all of the filled dough balls have been rolled, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until puffy and doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush the rolls generously with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Bring the sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Boil until the sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey and orange blossom water. Let cool while the rolls finish baking.
• Once the rolls are done, pour the glaze over the rolls while they are still hot. Allow to cool slightly. Enjoy!