Jachnun

Before You Start

Oil, never flour, or the layers glue together.

Roll loosely; a tight roll steams into a dense middle.

Foil under the lid matters — it is what keeps the steam in for three hours.

Cooking Jachnun

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1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then add the water and bring it to a dough.

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2. Knead 8 minutes, until smooth and very elastic, then cover and rest it 25 minutes.

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3. Beat the soft butter with the honey until spreadable.

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4. Divide the dough into 6 and oil your hands and the worktop generously.

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5. Take one piece and press and pull it outwards until it is a thin sheet you can see the worktop through.

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6. Spread it thinly with the butter, then roll it up loosely from the long side and tuck the ends under.

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7. Repeat with the rest and pack the rolls into a deep casserole, seam side down.

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8. Nestle the whole eggs among the rolls and cover the pot with foil, then the lid.

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9. Bake at 120°C / 250°F fan for 3 hours, until the rolls are deep brown and the eggs are dark.

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10. Coarsely grate the tomatoes, discarding the skins, and serve alongside with the eggs and zhug.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Why It Works

Stretch the dough until you can read through it. Every roll you make is one continuous sheet folded on itself a dozen times, and the layers are what turn to threads over three hours in the oven — thick dough gives you a solid, doughy log instead. Oil the worktop rather than flouring it and pull from the middle outwards with the flat of your hand; the dough is elastic enough to take it.

After You've Cooked It

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat whole rolls in a low oven for 20 minutes.

Serving Jachnun

• Grated tomato
• Zhug
• Sweet black tea

Still Wondering?

Jachnun Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. Garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.

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