Kahk

Name: Kahk
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon active dry yeast; About 2 cups lukewarm water; Pinch of sugar; 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter; 6 cups bread flour; 11 1/2 tablespoons salt (or less); 1/21 tablespoon ground cumin; 1/21 tablespoon ground coriander; 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water; Sesame seeds; Vegetable oil

11 ingredients

23 steps

Ingredients

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
About 2 cups lukewarm water
Pinch of sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter
6 cups bread flour
11 1/2 tablespoons salt (or less)
1/21 tablespoon ground cumin
1/21 tablespoon ground coriander
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Sesame seeds
Vegetable oil

Directions

1

Dissolve the yeast in a little of the warm water.
2

Add a small pinch of sugar and let it stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes, until it begins to bubble.
3

Melt the margarine or butter and let it cool.
4

Put the flour in a large bowl.
5

Add salt, cumin, and coriander to taste (I prefer the larger quantity of spices given), mixing them in well.
6

Work in the melted butter or margarine and the yeast mixture.
7

Add the remaining warm water gradually, working it in, adding just enough to make a stiff dough that holds together in a ball.
8

Knead vigorously for about 10 minutes, until smooth, shiny, and elastic.
9

Take walnut-sized lumps of dough and roll them into thin cigarette shapes about 4 inches long.
10

Bring the ends together and press them firmly against each other to make little bracelets.
11

Paint their tops with the egg mixed with water, using a pastry brush or a piece of cotton.
12

Dip the egg-coated surface in a plate containing sesame seeds.
13

Some will stick.
14

Place the bracelets on oiled baking sheets and allow them to rest and rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
15

I am told that a good way of knowing when the bracelets are ready for the oven is to put a small lump of dough in a glass of water when it is first made.
16

It will sink to the bottom, but then it will slowly rise again.
17

When this happens, the rest of the dough is ready for baking.
18

Bake the bracelets in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes.
19

Lower the heat to 300F and bake for 1 hour longer.
20

Then leave them to dry out for up to 2 or 3 hours in the lowest (225F) oven, until they are firm and crisp right through and a pale-golden color.
21

Let them cool before you put them in a box.
22

We sometimes vary our kahk by sprinkling with mahlab (the ground kernel of a type of black cherry) as well as sesame seeds.
23

Moroccans add 1/2 teaspoon allspice and a pinch of chili pepper to the dough.