Kaak Al Abbas
Description
There’s a special kind of joy in pulling a tray of kaak Al Abbas from the oven, they look impressive and taste even better.
Equipment
- 1 kaak mold
Ingredients
- 1 kg/ 2 lb 4 oz all- purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2/3 cup sunflower oil, + some extra oil to brush the kaak mold
- 2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon da'et kaak see the note below
- 5 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoons whole anise seeds
- 1 leveled tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup whole powdered milk
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water and add more if needed to create a dough
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, powdered milk, instant dry yeast, sesame seeds, anise seeds, daet kaak and turmeric powder. Mix well to infuse everything together; stir in the oil, and using your hands infuse the oil in the flour mixture.
- Add the water in a gradual fashion, you may need to add just a bit of more water to obtain a considerably sticky dough, but if the dough is too sticky add just a pinch of flour and knead, to obtain a dough of one texture (the more you knead the better the result is).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl, cover with cling film and allow it to rise overnight, or for a minimum of 8 hours.
- Here what it looks like after 8 hours of fermentation.
- Divide the dough into equal balls, roughly the size of egg.
- Generously, rub some cooking oil on your hands and moisten the wooden mold with it. Place one at a time round dough over the wooden mold and flatten it to a thickness of 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm. (If you want softer kaak Al Abbas, roll out the dough on the mold on the thicker side (1/2 inch thick). If you want a crispier kaak, roll out the dough on the thinner side (1/4 inch thick)), using your finger pop it out,
- Transfer to a lightly greased oven sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, make sure to leave some space between one kaak and another, like any yeasted bread the dough will expand while baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 180°C/350°F, to a golden color, it takes about 15 to 17 minutes, but please keep an eye on your oven, before the mentioned time, ovens are different.
- Serve it on its own as a dessert, or part of your afternoon nibbles, or as a breakfast with labne and a cup of brewed tea.
Video
Notes
Daet kaak (kaak spice) will take kaak al Abbas to the next level
One rule for achieving an authentic kaak al Abbas is to use a unique blend of spices that's called da'et al kaak; the blend adds warm and earthy character and complexity to kaak al Abbas. Da'et kaak usually comes in a one ready mix available at spice markets or food sections in Lebanon, I bet you can find them online too, anyway, I will provide you with a recipe on how to make the blend yourself, use the mentioned amount then keep the rest in the freezer for later use. Note 1- To make da'et kaak from scratch: combine together together 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon ground anise seeds, 1 teaspoon mahlab and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, mix well together, use the mentioned quantity in making the dough, and keep the rest for later use. Note 2- You can find the wooden mold online, if you can't find it, use the back of a large glass ashtray with an impression, it works well. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!