This is one thing I have not been able to make. Dip cookie cutter in flour before cutting out shapes and transfer to baking sheets. Happy Easter to you and your Mom and the rest of the family. The Lebanese, take kaak for granted, it belongs to daily life. Let me know how you enjoy the delicious ka’ik. That he calls my dad Jido is already step one. She was sent to Lebanon by her father at a young age (6-7) to help with some relatives farm. We speak in one manner or another every day. Pour the warm water in to a second small bowl. If the dough remains sticky, you can add some more flour to … To create a warm setting for the balls to rise again, place a kitchen towel on the counter and cover with plastic wrap. Cover and leave for ten hours, or overnight. DIRECTIONS. What a beautiful story I really enjoyed it. https://mediterraneaneatz.com/recipe/traditional-lebanese-kaak Thank you Anice! It gave me the chills and instantly made me feel my family through my whole body. Divide the dough into 18 pieces by cutting or squeezing off balls about 2 ½ inches wide (the size can be larger or smaller, to your liking). Agwa Date Spread (Optional – See Recipe.) Carefully remove and place face-up on an ungreased sheet pan. Rosalie’s husband, rest his soul, is my mother’s cousin; their fathers are brothers. So… too much… but reading this again re-sets my intention that my son will know the food of his heritage. Wow wow wow, Nora! Prepare 3 baking sheets with cooking spray or parchment paper. The ka’ik freezes well, or keep at room temperature covered tightly and eat within a couple of days. Continue kneading until you have a smooth dough. This family was very cruel to her and she had no choice but to come tot he U.S. to be with her brother with the promise that the priest would go back and get the baby. Learn how your comment data is processed. Beautiful words and photos, cousin, just breath-taking. Kaak is a purse or handbag shaped crispy and soft, slightly chewy bread that’s covered with sesame seeds. My heart is warmed by this beautiful reuniting of Lebanese family across the world. Other than that….perfection! Along the highway leading to the village of El Mtein, one could see what appeared to be huge bites taken out of hillsides, revealing the stone underneath. One of the cousins must have sensed the magnetism the stone had for my mother, who was looking them over as though scanning for a lost treasure. Keep the ka’ik well-covered or in an airtight container for up to three days. Sift flour and add them gradually. In a large bowl, beat egg at medium speed with n electric mixer until bubbly,ad vanilla,sugar and oil,mix them well. I, too, hope to one day visit the land of my “ancestors” (my grandfather was born in Lebanon and emigrated in early 1900s). She married and eventually settled in Atlanta, Ga and raised a large family of boys and girls. They are a perfect example of how sometimes simple recipes are the best way to allow ingredients to shine. In a saucepan, melt down the ghee. Process on slow speed for some seconds until ingredients are mixed. What is Half and half? I like the spices etc. When we’re not, The kids grandma (or Teta as she’s affectionately known, which means “grandmother” in Arabic) is an incredible cook (we love her, As with any busy metropolis, I find mornings to explore the city; it’s when you get to see how the city comes to life. If using your hands to shape the dough, flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. You have made this possible for me–I am so grateful for your gentle sensibility and your talent to translate emotions into graceful words. My fiancé is a Shaheen! He loves to make Fatayers and loves the spinache the best, he is just about ready to make Baklawa by himself, we have made it many times together taking turns on who will do the buttering and who will place the phyllo leaves. These are sometimes flavoured with aniseed or orange blossom and embossed in the centre with a cross shape. Place back into bowl and cover with a towel. Thank you for sharing and for the detail about the PDF recipe. Preheat oven to 200˚C. That is so cool Wendy! Mix together the yeast, flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. thank you for your wonderful recipies……….. Lila, you made my day! Add the luke-warm … Inside, the coffee and cigarettes came out (the smoking there is as common as the little cups of intense Arabic coffee) as we dove into the family tree. Free online calorie counter and diet plan. I cannot wait to try your recipe, too. I took it to our family Easter Dinner. Line two large, flat oven trays with baking paper. What an honor. Stir for few minutes and leave to cool. ... Kaak el Eid or Holiday cookies are traditionally prepared in the Chouf mountains of Lebanon during the Adha holiday. DESIGNED BY CL DESIGNS, Beirut is home to my husband’s side of the family, which is the main reason why we visit Lebanon quite often. I collect (and use) cookie and butter molds and bought a beautiful large wooden mold on ebay a couple years ago, not knowing what it was for. She died when they were just 5 and 6 years old. My cousin, however, Alexis Alhandy, just made it for her aunt’s 90th birthday party and it was absolutely wonderful. For years I looked for my mother’s half-brother who was left in Lebanon as an infant. Add the sugar to the milk, then heat until the sugar melts. The Lebanese, take kaak for granted, it belongs to daily life. Kaak is not a supermarket type of bread; it is street food, it is out there with the human hustle bustle. Can’t wait to try it. They are quite popular in Palestine, a staple in Eid along side maamoul and barazek. My love of lebanese food was born then. Thank you. Much appreciated! Simmer for one minute, then remove from heat. I grew up with the latter, a Lebanese glazed sweet bread which is fragrant with spices and subtly sweet. Stretch it out with a rolling pin and roll into a round circle. Thank you so much for sharing it here! I would run back to the kitchen and sit at her gigantic table covered linen and hughe loaves of bread, pipping hot, in front of me. Make the glaze while ka’ik bakes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to an approximate thickness of 1/4 inch (6 mm). I had the opportunity to taste my cousin’s baking of your recipe for Ka’ik…..It was something that I cannot explain with regard to my heritage, and my mother and aunts and Sito baking this for all of us. You might also like to see my just-published tips for an enhanced ka’ik recipe with a different glaze here. Heat the butter, half and half, sugar and rose water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Wonderful. You’re giving your son a great gift! Glaze the ka’ik while they are still warm. Knead the mixture until you get it to a dough-like consistency. The Ka’ak look just like my grandmother made. Work the mixture with clean hands breaking up the shortening and butter until blended with the dry … I was able to speak with my mother’s niece, her brother’s daughter. This piece gave me the chills, Maureen. I feel my Sito, my mom and all my aunts and cousins that have been part of this wonderful process. Ingredients: 5 cups all-purpose flour 5 cups semolina (farkha) 4 cups powdered sugar 1 cup butter, softened 2 1/2 cups Crisco (vegetable shortening) 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 envelope instant yeast 2 cups dry whole milk … You know that Louise’s recipe would be wonderful! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We use the bottom of a cut-glass ashtray as our press. The bakery bread was tasty, but dry. Preheat the oven to 450F. We used to get the ring shaped ones with anise version but i like this one too! Gradually pour the butter, milk and sugar mixture into the flour while kneading. Proof the yeast by dissolving it in 1/4 cup of warm water with a tablespoon of the sugar. Thank you. Reading of your trip to Lebanon and meeting cousins whom you had never met before rang very true for me. In other words, the printed directions leaves out when to add the yeast. Bake the ka’ik for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Mine was moist and truly wonderful. I am new to your website and will continue to read it page by page. 4. I did win an award for my Baklava and that is much easier to make. Dear Maureen, I am thrilled by your story and the recipe for what we called “Easter bread”. Lebanese Kaak Recipe Lebanese Recipes My Recipes Holiday Recipes Cookie Recipes Arabic Sweets Arabic Food Lebanese Breakfast Eid Food Holiday Cookies Making kaak is always a social event for the family members, friends and neighbours to gather during holidays and help each others preparing this traditional dessert. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes (depending on size) or until edges are firm … Above all we brought a piece of Grandpa Abowd’s home. ... called Kaak el Eid or A’ras. I am so glad I found your site, I feel like family after reading about your mother and sitty and jitty, We will be trying out some of your recipes and I know they will be wonderful, I can smell all this delicious food right here at my computer. I have been teaching my grandson, 8 years old, how to cook Lebanese food for a couple of years now. We usually like eating it with some Laughing Cow cream cheese, or filled with zaatar. I have been searching for that exact kaak recipes for decades,I can,t thank you enough.plz send me any sweet,or home made recipes,I would love to try of them. My grandmother’s first husband had died during her pregnancy and when the baby was born, in the early 1900’s, he was considered the “property” of the husband’s family. Just a side note, if you print the directions from the “print here,”…….those directions leaves out the words …….combine the yeast mixture to the bowl. There were piles of the beautiful stone bedrock of Lebanon all around the construction site of the house, chunks that were heavy and laden with dust. Thank you so much for your story and recipe. On Saturdays we use to ride over to her house and before we could get out of the car, the smell of fresh syrian bread (pita) was filling the air. It is one of my favorite things! I have married into an Egyptian family I am British. Let the balls rise for ½ hour. If using a new ka’ik mold, lightly brush it with oil. In a small bowl, pour the rose water and orange flower water. I guessed that it was Middle Eastern in origin because it reminded me of my mammoul molds. It was one hubby’s favorite snack items while growing up in Beirut, so whenever we’re in town, he and Jaf wake up early, go downstairs and do some father-son bonding over some freshly made kaak. I learned that he married at age 14 and had 10 children, many of whom were still living. Dough: Using an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, smell of kaak and sesame. Hot pita smothered in butter, Laban, Labneh, coosa, Lubie, grape leaves and then at Pascha, EASTER COOKIES! Ka'ak (Kaak - Sesame Bagel) Recipe | Chef Tariq | Food Blog Thank you so much for this–I’ll try it as soon as I can find the time. It kind of tastes like and reminds me of a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese, but the dough is much lighter and not as filling. Thank you for your kind words, and sorry you had trouble reading the titles in my book! Thanks again for your beautiful writing. Increase the speed on the mixer to knead the dough for five minutes, or by hand on the counter for 10 minutes. Remove from oven – eat warm. Gradually pour the butter, milk and sugar mixture into … That none of us had met before seemed irrelevant as we recognized the family-feel in each other’s faces (it’s all in the eyes, honey) and hugged it out, reunion-style, there on the front porch. We shape our Easter Cookies in the shape of an S, 8, and circles, pinch the top with our specials little pinchers and stuff them with dates, he absolutely loves them. Olive oil bread, kaaek bel zait (كعك بزيت) or akras el eid (اقراص العيد) is a popular bread in the middle east.It is usually made in the olive pressing season to celebrate the fresh olive oil and a sweetened version of it is made in Eid as a dessert served to … Preheat oven to 350F. Take off burner and let cool. Dip each sweet bread face-down into the glaze and place on a cooling rack to dry. 3. Mix smeed, flour, salt, sugar, and butter/oil in a large pan. Now it’s time to roll out the dough into key-ring shapes. Mom had said from the start that she would not make this trip to Lebanon with us, it was just too much for her, and then days before we left she heard me reading a message of welcome and anticipation that I’d received from her family. Great post and happy Easter! Sift together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and mahlab spice (if using) into a large mixing bowl. At the heart of this side of the house is the room where my grandfather was born. Required fields are marked *. There are many versions of ka’ik, some biscuit-like and others bread-like. Place the kaak on the sheet, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Thank you for the most heartwarming story, yet. In the midst of its rehab, what we saw was dusty and dark, but even that couldn’t detract from the remarkable arched stone walls and ceiling. So happy to have found your website and will continue to read.. just a comment, yeast!, sugar, mahleb or aniseed and baking powder and the recipe for what we called Easter! 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