Khamir

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gplain flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tspsalt
• 80 gcaster sugar
• 100 gsoft dates, pitted and mashed
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 1/2 tspground fennel or aniseed
• 1egg
• 60 mloil
• 350 mlwarm milk

To finish

• 1egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk
• 2 tbspsesame seeds
• 1 tbspnigella seeds

To serve

• honey
• ghee
• cream cheese or clotted cream
• sweet tea

Directions

1. Use soft dates such as khalas or medjool, rather than dry ones. Pit them carefully and check every one. Mash them to a paste with a fork, or blend them with a little of the warm milk. The paste should be smooth, since lumps of date scorch during baking.
2. Warm the milk to blood temperature and no hotter. Put the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, cardamom and fennel in a large bowl. Whisk them together thoroughly. Add the date paste, the egg and the oil. Pour in most of the warm milk and mix it into a soft dough. Add the rest of the milk only if it will not come together.
3. Turn it out and knead it for twelve minutes. It should become smooth, elastic and slightly sticky. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it well.
4. Leave it in a warm place for at least four hours. It should double or more and smell faintly sour and yeasty. Turn the risen dough out onto an oiled surface. Do not knock it back hard, since the gas gives the bread its lightness.
5. Divide it into eight pieces with a scraper. Oil your hands and shape each piece into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball into a disc about fifteen centimetres across. They should be about one and a half centimetres thick. Lay them on lined baking trays with space between them. Cover them loosely and leave them for thirty minutes. They should look visibly puffed and feel light.
6. Heat the oven to 200C while they prove. Brush the tops with the egg yolk and milk. Scatter sesame and nigella seeds generously over each one. Press the seeds down lightly so they stick. Bake them for twenty to twenty-five minutes. They should be deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
7. Tear them open rather than slicing them. Pour honey over the torn bread, or spread it with cream cheese. Serve them with sweet tea at breakfast. They keep for two days wrapped in cloth and freeze well.

Technique

• Give the dough at least four hours, since the flavour comes from the long ferment.
• Use soft dates mashed smooth, as lumps of date scorch in the oven.
• Cover the baked breads with a cloth so they stay soft.

Substitutions

• Date syrup in place of mashed dates, using less sugar.
• Water in place of milk, for a plainer bread.

Variations

• Emirati khameer, made much the same way.
• With saffron infused into the milk.
• Split and filled with cream cheese and honey.

History

A leavened dough rested for hours; the same bread family as Emirati khameer, spread by Red Sea and Gulf trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is Khamir?

Khamir is a bread & pastry from Yemen: slightly sweet fermented dough bread, soft and dark, eaten with honey or tea. A leavened dough rested for hours; the same bread family as Emirati khameer, spread by Red Sea and Gulf trade.

How long does Khamir take to make?

Khamir takes 30 min plus 4 hours rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 breads. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Khamir?

Yes, within limits. Date syrup in place of mashed dates, using less sugar. Water in place of milk, for a plainer bread.

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

Use soft dates such as khalas or medjool, rather than dry ones. Pit them carefully and check every one. Mash them to a paste with a fork, or blend them with a little of the warm milk. The paste should be smooth, since lumps of date scorch during baking.