Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat Al Nahl - خلية نحل)

Name: Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat Al Nahl - خلية نحل)
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1/4cup brown butter (room temperature); 2tbsp plain yogurt (room temperature); 1/2 cup milk (warm); 1/4 cup sugar; 1 egg (room temperature); 1/2 tsp salt; 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting); 1 tsp instant yeast; 3/4 cup water; 1 cup sugar; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tsp Crushed cardamom (optional); 1/2 tsp Lemon juice (optional); 8oz cream cheese (most common)

8 steps

Prep:3hCook:30min

Khaliat Al Nahl is a traditional Yemeni honeycomb bread that is stuffed with cream cheese and soaked in simple syrup. So easy to make and my favorite Yemeni dessert!

Updated at: Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:35:08 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

High

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories228.4 kcal (11%)

Total Fat9.1 g (13%)

Carbs33.9 g (13%)

Sugars18.8 g (21%)

Protein3.6 g (7%)

Sodium125.5 mg (6%)

Fiber0.5 g (2%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

16 servings

¼ cupbrown butter

room temperature

2 Tbspplain yogurt

½ cupmilk

¼ cupsugar

½ tspsalt

2 ½ cupsall purpose flour

plus more for dusting

1 tspinstant yeast

Simple Syrup

¾ cupwater

1 cupsugar

2 Tbsphoney

1 tspcardamom

Crushed, optional

½ tspLemon juice

optional

Filling Options

8 ozcream cheese

most common

Instructions

Step 1

Whisk to combine your brown butter, yogurt, milk, sugar, egg, and salt. Make sure mixture is warm to help yeast activate.

Step 2

Add your flour and yeast. Knead using a stand mixer for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and tacky to touch.

Step 3

Form your dough into a ball, place in a clean oiled bowl, and cover to let it rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (1 to 1.5 hours).

Step 4

Make your simple syrup: combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to completely cool.

Step 5

Once your dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 32 balls. Flatten each ball and place a small piece of cream cheese in the center. Pinch the ends of the dough together to close and roll the ball in your hands. Place all the stuffed balls in a buttered round pan that is at least 10inch. Leave a bit of space between the balls as they still need a second rise.

Step 6

Cover the pan and let it rise again for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 7

Brush with an egg wash, and top with sesame and black seeds (optional). Bake for 25 minutes in the middle rack, and move to the top rack for another 5 minutes of baking to get that beautiful browned top.

Step 8

As soon as the bread comes out, pour your simple syrup on top (reserve some for later) and allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes. The bread is best eaten warm, so just pop it in the microwave whenever and pour some of the reserved simple syrup on top. Enjoy!