Ka'ak bil Milch
If there was one taste that could sum up the amazing experience I have had since starting this project it would be the taste of Ka’ak bil Milch. Quite literally ‘cake with salt’ ka’ak (or kahqa) is actually more like a breadstick. It has been offered to me in almost every house I have visited and even with a few variations it has reminded me of home, comforted me, and replaced more than one meal on my marathon interviewing trips when I woke up too late for breakfast or got back too late and tired for dinner. It is quite fitting then that my uncle requested that I upload the recipe for this particular version while he is living far from home. So here you go - the ultimate and eternally versatile taste of home!
60 Pieces
Ingredients
2 tbsps fennel seeds
250ml water
500g strong white bread flour
250g butter or margarine
1 tbsp. nigella seeds
½ tbsp. ground mahlab*
7g instant dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
50g lightly toasted and cooled sesame seeds
1 egg for glazing
Method
Boil the fennel seeds in a pan with the water until a very dark yellow colour, then strain the water into a jug and set aside to cool.
Combine the flour and fat into a crumble and then mix in the nigella seeds, yeast, salt and mahlab
Make a hole in the crumble and pour half the water into the mixture. Combine into a dough by hand, gradually adding more of the water until the dough is relatively wet and soft
Cover and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size
Shape into rings on a lined baking tray. Do this by rolling a sausage as thick as a pinkie finger and 10cm long. Join the ends together using a fingernail to secure the dough
Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes
Glaze with the egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake at 160°C for 30 mins, until golden brown
Transfer all to a large oven tray, turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven
* A traditional ingredient made by grinding the stones of the St Lucie cherry, it can be omitted if it’s too hard to get hold of but it gives the ka’ak a distinctive flavour
...and another version for good measure
Ingredients
500g plain flour
300ml lukewarm water
150ml sunflower oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 ¼ tsp nigella seeds
14g fast action dried yeast
1 egg for glazing
50g sesame seeds
Method
Add the yeast and sugar to the water and leave to bubble up
Add the flour, nigella seeds, salt and cumin seeds to a bowl, then mix in the oil and water
Knead into a wet dough
Cover and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size
Shape into rings on a lined baking tray. Do this by rolling a sausage as thick as a pinkie finger and 10cm long. Join the ends together using a fingernail to secure the dough
Leave to rest for 30 minutes
Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes
Transfer all onto a single large oven tray and bake at 80°C for three hours