Kaak

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gstrong white flour
• 10 ginstant yeast
• 12 gsalt
• 2 tbspcaster sugar
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspmilk powder, if wanted
• 380 mlwarm water

Coating

• 150 gsesame seeds
• 3 tbspsugar dissolved in 100 ml warm water

Fillings

• za’atar mixed with olive oil
• processed cheese slices
• picon cheese triangles

Equipment

• a baking stone or heavy tray

Directions

1. Put the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and milk powder in a large bowl. Keep the salt away from the yeast until the water goes in. Add the olive oil and most of the warm water. Mix it into a rough dough and turn it out onto the surface.
2. Knead it for ten to twelve minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should be firm enough to hold a shape without slumping. Put it in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise until doubled. This takes about an hour and a half in a warm kitchen. Roll each piece into a ball and let them rest for ten minutes.
3. Take one ball and flatten it into an oval about twenty centimetres long. Now forming the purse, which takes a little practice. Press a hole through the dough about a third of the way from one end. Work the hole open with your fingers until it is quite large. The bottom ring should be broad and flat, and the handle much narrower.
4. Set the shaped kaak on a floured tray. Cover them and prove for twenty-five minutes. Now the oven, which must be very hot. Heat the oven to its highest setting with a stone or heavy tray inside. Give it a full thirty minutes to come up to temperature.
5. Spread the sesame seeds in a wide shallow tray. Brush each kaak generously with the sugar water. Lay the wet side down into the sesame and press it in firmly. Now baking, which takes only a few minutes.
6. Bake them for eight to ten minutes. They should puff, colour to golden and smell of toasted sesame. Cut a pocket rather than cutting the bread in half. Spread it inside the pocket and press the bread closed.
7. Return it to the hot oven for one minute to warm through. Warm it briefly so the cheese softens but does not run out. Serve it hot, wrapped in paper, to be eaten in the hand. It is at its best within an hour of baking.

Technique

• Stretch the dough thin and larger than you want, since it shrinks back as it proves.
• Brush with sugar water so the sesame sticks, and press it in firmly.
• Bake hot and fast, then cover with a cloth to keep the crumb soft.

Substitutions

• Any soft spreadable cheese in place of picon.
• A heavy baking tray if you have no stone.

Variations

• Kaak bi haleeb, a sweeter milk-enriched version.
• Filled with chocolate spread, which is now common for children.
• The Jerusalem version, longer and thinner in shape.

History

Handbag-shaped sesame bread sold from bicycle carts, split open and filled with za’atar or cheese.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kaak?

Kaak is a street food from Lebanon: sesame purse-shaped bread from carts, stuffed with cheese or za’atar. Handbag-shaped sesame bread sold from bicycle carts, split open and filled with za’atar or cheese.

How long does Kaak take to make?

Kaak takes 40 min plus 2 hours rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 kaak. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kaak?

Yes, within limits. Any soft spreadable cheese in place of picon. A heavy baking tray if you have no stone.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kaak?

Set the shaped kaak on a floured tray. Cover them and prove for twenty-five minutes. Now the oven, which must be very hot. Heat the oven to its highest setting with a stone or heavy tray inside. Give it a full thirty minutes to come up to temperature.