When they say salty buns they weren’t kidding. Though I did use a bit more salt then might have been necessary; the buns do make a very salty base for sweet. I also liked the bread as a sandwich type of bun. Good for grilled meats or the sweet and sour meats as a next day treat on salty bread.
Aqras Mumallaha
(Salted Buns)
Translation:
Take as much flour as needed and put a quarter pound of sesame oil on every pound of flour, and put in a moderate amount of salt, such that it is neither apparent nor deficient. Bake it, after it rises, in the same way as khubz al-abazir, but (rolled) a little thinner, and when it browns lightly, take it out. This is only made so that the appetite may incline to the salty taste, rather than the sweet, so it is served among the sweet dishes.
(Rodinson, pp. 431)
Ingredients:
2 C. flour 3 Tbs sesame oil 1 tsp salt ¼ C water 1 tsp yeast
My Redaction:
I took 2 cups of flour and salt, combining till well blended. The sesame oil was then added along with the water and yeast. The yeast I placed into the water until mixed and allowed to set for 5 minutes.
The recipe does not specifically say to add yeast; however with the phrase “…after it rises” makes me believe that yeast was added. Very few kitchens have enough yeast floating through the air to make bread rise with out the addition of yeast cells. So with that in mind I took in the need for water and yeast (technically yeast can be added with out water; however I find that with out water added with the yeast the bread is less elastic with less rise). The dough sat until doubled in size, then formed into roughly hand sized buns and cooked at 350 till lightly brown.
The dough sat rising for about an hour (you can leave bread to rise for a long while so if you forget and come back to really puffy dough…don’t panic. The dough is still usable!). Now you can form more then 3 out of the dough if rolled a little thinner and smaller.
If these are to be used for a dessert I would definitely suggest a smaller bun about 1-2 inches across more like a bread spoon instead of a bread pocket.
These 3 dough pieces made for very nicely formed salted buns. Just the right size for sandwiches.
This is what the bread looks like stuffed with a very tasty bit of beef cut up into pieces. The salted buns are definitly a switch hitter. Good for both the meat and the sweet!
This bread was to be used a salty offset for the sweet dishes. I have also used this recipe with a little less salt as a base for bread buns used for stuffing of meat into. Very tasty and very salty. Goes well with jams.