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TWiP Kitchen

Reviews

Ka’ek al-Quds

By Chef Fadi Kattan

When I think of Jerusalem, like so many others, I think of the food, the smells, Jerusalem street fare – falafel, ka’ek in Al-Musrara, sweets in the Old City – and the refined lunches and dinners of the old Jerusalemite families.

But ka’ek remains a symbol for me. A symbol of a food that is threatened by appropriation; erroneously and purposely called “Jerusalem bagel.” A symbol that evokes memories of Jerusalemites bringing ka’ek to their relatives on trips abroad. A symbol that brings to mind memories of breaking open the ka’ek, cracking the beid mashwi (wood-oven-baked eggs), and sprinkling the top with some of that salt and za’atar mix they give you at Jerusalem bakeries.

Ingredients

400 g flour
¼ cup powdered milk
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
125 ml warm water

 

For the wash

2 tbsp water
1 egg white
40 g toasted sesame seeds

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. In a large bowl mix the flour, powdered milk, salt, yeast, and baking soda.
  3. Make a well in the middle and add the olive oil and water.
  4. Mix well with your hands until you have a homogenous dough.
  5. Knead the dough for ten minutes.
  6. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for an hour.
  7. Flour a working surface. Place the dough on the surface and cut into four pieces.
  8. With oiled hands, work the dough into a ring and then slowly stretch it into the oblong shape of the Jerusalem ka’ek. Place the ka’ek on a baking tray layered with baking paper.
  9. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise another fifteen minutes.
  10. Prepare the wash: using a fork, whisk the water and egg white.
  11. Immediately prior to baking, brush the egg wash onto the ka’ek and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.
  12. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. You may have to flip the baking tray around in the oven to get a perfect color.

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