Beehive Pastry (Khaliat Al-Nahal) Recipe

Today I chose an international recipe for the letter K: Khaliat Nahal, an Arabic pull-apart bread filled with cream cheese and soaked in a honey-flavored syrup. Khaliat Nahal literally means “beehive” in Arabic. The small dough rolls are arranged in a beehive pattern, baked until golden, and then drenched in a sweet syrup so the finished bread resembles a honeycomb. I first saw this on Comforting With Food and finally decided to try it. The buns turned out soft, absorbed the syrup beautifully, and had a lovely balance of sweetness and creaminess. Because cream cheese is not readily available where I live, I made a simple homemade version using curd, which added a pleasant, mild tang to the filling. Everyone enjoyed these buns.

Recipe source: Comforting With Food

Ingredients

For the Bread

• Flour (maida) — 3 cups
• Milk powder — 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
• Vegetable oil — 1/4 cup
• Instant yeast — 2 1/4 tsp
• Baking powder — 1 tbsp
• Sugar — 1 tbsp
• Warm water — 1 cup + 1 tbsp
• Cream cheese — 1/2 cup (or homemade cream cheese)
• Sesame seeds — for topping

For the Syrup

• Sugar — 1 cup
• Water — 1/2 cup
• Honey — 1 tbsp

Procedure

For the Bread

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, instant yeast, milk powder and baking powder. Mix well so the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the warm water and vegetable oil. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients.
3. Stir to form a soft dough, then transfer to a lightly floured counter and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic.
4. Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside and coat the surface with a thin film of oil. Cover with cling film or a damp cloth.
5. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
6. Punch down the risen dough to release air, roll it into a log and divide into 19 equal portions.
7. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball slightly, place about one teaspoon of cream cheese in the center, and seal the dough around the filling to form a neat ball.
8. Arrange the filled balls in a greased 8-inch round tin in a beehive pattern: one ball in the center, surrounded by rings of balls to fill the tin.
9. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over the surface.
10. Cover the tin loosely and allow the arranged buns to proof again until they have doubled in size.
11. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
12. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned on top.

For the Syrup

1. Combine the sugar, water and honey in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. Prepare this while the buns are proofing so the syrup is ready when the buns come out of the oven.

Soaking the Buns

1. When the buns are freshly baked and still hot, pour the cooled honey syrup evenly over them.
2. The syrup will seep into the gaps between the rolls and gradually be absorbed by the bread, making the crumb sweet and moist.
3. Once the syrup is applied, cover the tin with aluminum foil and allow it to cool completely so the flavors settle and the syrup distributes evenly.
4. Gently remove the pull-apart loaf from the tin and transfer to a serving plate.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pull apart the buns to enjoy the syrup-soaked interior and creamy filling.

Tips and Notes

• Use warm but not hot water to activate the yeast; water around 105–115°F (40–46°C) is ideal. If water is too hot it can kill the yeast.
• If you cannot find cream cheese, a simple homemade version can be made by straining thick curd or yogurt until it reaches a spreadable consistency; this adds a pleasant tang to the filling.
• Allowing the buns to rest covered with foil after pouring the syrup helps the bread absorb the syrup thoroughly and keeps the crumb soft.
• These buns are best eaten within a day or two; store in an airtight container at room temperature. Warm briefly before serving if chilled.

Logo courtesy: Preeti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for other participants doing BM#32.