Kleicha

Ingredients

• 435 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 240 ml warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp ground cardamom
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 120 g unsalted butter, melted
• 500 g soft date paste
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter for the filling
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg plus 1 yolk, beaten, for glazing
• 1 pinch saffron threads

Before you cook

• Stir the yeast into the warm water and leave it for 5 minutes until it foams.
• Melt the 120 g of butter and let it cool slightly.
• Crush the saffron threads and stir them into the beaten egg glaze.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Steps

1. Mix the flour, salt and ground cardamom in a large bowl.
2. Pour in the oil and melted butter and rub them through the flour until it looks like damp sand.
3. Add the foamy yeast water and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough comes together into one smooth ball.
4. Cover the bowl and leave the dough somewhere warm for 1 hour.
5. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over low heat.
6. Add the date paste and work it with a spoon for 4 minutes until it softens and turns glossy, then take it off the heat.
7. Knead the ground cinnamon into the warm date paste until it is evenly dark and no longer sticky to touch.
8. Divide the date paste in half and roll each piece between two sheets of parchment into a rectangle about 3 mm thick.
9. Heat the oven to 200C.
10. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a rectangle roughly the same size as the date sheets.
11. Peel the top parchment off a date sheet and lay it face down onto a dough rectangle, then peel away the second sheet.
12. Roll the dough up tightly from the long side into a firm log, and repeat with the second half.
13. Press each log gently flatter, then cut it across into pieces about 2 cm wide.
14. Arrange the pieces cut side up on the lined sheets with a finger's gap between them.
15. Brush the tops with the saffron egg glaze.
16. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bases are golden and the tops are set.
17. Cover the hot kleicha with a clean tea towel as they cool, so they stay tender rather than drying out.