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Egyptian fayesh
Sweet sesame rusks
فايش: sweet sesame rusks from Upper Egypt
Fayesh belongs to the Sa'id, Upper Egypt, where village women bake it in big batches in mud-brick ovens so the family has something crunchy for breakfast tea for weeks, and travellers from Luxor and Aswan carry bags of it north as a gift. A lightly sweet, aniseed-scented bread is baked, sliced, then dried slowly into hard, golden rusks crusted with sesame. They are dunked in black tea with plenty of sugar or in hot milk, and they never go stale. The common error is drying them too fast at a high heat: the outside browns while the middle stays soft, and that softness turns mouldy in the tin. Chef's tip: slice the loaves the next morning, not while warm; a rested loaf cuts into clean, even slices that dry at the same rate.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast1 sachet
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground aniseed
- ½ tsp ground mahlab (optional)
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
- 1 oz gheemelted
To finish
- 3 tbsp milkfor brushing
- 1 ¾ oz sesame seeds
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 3 ½ oz sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground aniseed and ½ tsp ground mahlab, if using, in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add 1 cup lukewarm milk, ¼ cup sunflower oil and 1 oz ghee and knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 4: Line two trays with baking paper. Divide the dough in four and shape each piece into a flat oval loaf about 25 cm long and 3 cm high.
Step 5: Brush the loaves with 3 tbsp milk, scatter thickly with 1 ¾ oz sesame seeds and press it on. Cover and leave for 30 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).
30 minStep 6: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped; inside it should read about 88–194°F.
22 minStep 7: Cool the loaves completely on a rack, ideally overnight, wrapped loosely in a cloth.
Step 8: Heat the oven to 250°F (200°F fan). Slice the loaves on a slant into 1.5 cm slices and lay them flat on the trays.
Step 9: Dry for 60–70 minutes, turning once halfway, until the rusks are golden and hard right through; a slice snapped in half should be dry and crisp in the centre.
65 minStep 10: Cool completely in the oven with the door ajar, then store airtight for up to two months.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 235 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does egyptian fayesh take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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