Bint Al Sahn

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast
• 60 ml lukewarm water
• 3 eggs
• 120 g ghee, melted, for the dough
• 180 ml warm water, approximately
• 150 g ghee, melted, for layering
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp nigella seeds
• 200 g runny honey

Before you cook

• Stir the yeast into 60 ml of lukewarm water and leave it for 10 minutes until foamy.
• Melt all the ghee and keep it warm but not hot.
• Beat the 3 eggs in a small bowl.
• Grease a 26 cm round cake tin or shallow oven dish generously with ghee.

Steps

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the middle and pour in the beaten eggs, the foamy yeast and 120 g of melted ghee.
3. Work the mixture together, adding the warm water a splash at a time, until you have a soft dough that is slightly tacky but not sticky.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly oiled surface for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic and glossy.
5. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it and leave it somewhere warm for 45 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 11 equal balls, plus one slightly larger ball for the top layer.
7. Rub each ball with a little ghee, arrange them on a tray, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
8. Heat the oven to 200C.
9. Roll the first ball out as thinly as you can, then lift it and stretch it gently over the backs of your hands until it is almost transparent.
10. Lay the sheet into the greased tin and brush it all over with melted ghee.
11. Repeat with the remaining balls, brushing ghee between every single layer and letting the edges drape over the rim.
12. Finish with the largest sheet on top and tuck the overhanging edges down the inside of the tin.
13. Brush the top with the egg yolk and scatter the nigella seeds evenly over the surface.
14. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the layers have puffed apart at the edges.
15. Warm the honey in a small pan until it is runny and just steaming.
16. Pour the hot honey over the whole surface as soon as the tin comes out of the oven, so it seeps between the layers.
17. Cut into wedges and serve warm, with more honey on the side.