Honeycomb bread stuffed with cheese (Khaliat Nahl)
This traditional bread is so soft, fluffy and tender. Each bun is filled with a soft cheese, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked until golden. Drenched in a warm saffron and honey syrup it is the perfect recipe for Eid or any occasion
Course Appetizer, Brunch, Celebration, Finger food, High Tea, Snack, Sweet tooth, tea time
Cuisine levantine, Middle Eastern, Yemeni
Servings 20ball buns
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Rubber spatula
Dough scraper
Sauce pot
10 inch round tin
4 inc round tin (optional)
Baking paper
Brush
Ingredients
Dough -
1and 1/2 cup milk
1tbspinstant yeast
1tbspbrown sugar
1cupyogurt
5cupsall purpose flour + 1/2 cup more for rolling
1tspsalt
1tbspbaking powder
1/2cupmelted butter
20pieceskiri cheese
3tbspheavy creamfor brushing
3tbspsesame seeds
Syrup -
1cupwater
1/4cupsugar
1/4cuphoney
6-8saffron strands
Instructions
For the dough -
Pour the warm milk into a mixing bowl, add the yeast and brown sugar. Stir to combine and allow it to foam up, around 5-10 mins. Set aside.
Once frothy add the yogurt and stir well. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and melted butter. Stir until you have a sticky dough.
Cover and let it rise for 60 minutes or until doubled in volume.
Once the dough has doubled in size, liberally flour your clean kitchen counter and bring the dough together to form a ball.
Assembly -
Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and line your baking tin by brushing with oil and place sheet of baking paper at the bottom. If you are making it a crescent shape as well, place the 4 inch round tin into the larger tin and set aside.
Cut the dough into 20 pieces. Unwrap your pieces of cheese and get ready to start filling the dough.
Flatten each piece of dough in your palm and add a piece of cheese into the middle, pinch the edges together and roll into a ball either between your palms or on the counter.
Place each dough ball into the empty space in the baking tin. Repeat the process until all the dough is done. pile them over each other as I have.
Cover the tin with cling film and allow it to rise for 10 minutes.
Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle over the sesame seeds, bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough has risen, the top is golden and if you knock it, you will hear a hollow sound.
Make the syrup -
While the bread is baking make the syrup by placing all the ingredients in a sauce pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until it has reduced. Take off the heat and let it cool.
Finish the buns -
Once they are out of the oven you can pour over the cooled syrup while still in the tin. Let the cool down a little before removing from the tin. Serve with tea.