AI-generated image
Jachnun
Jachnun: Yemenite rolled pastry baked slowly overnight for Shabbat morning
Jachnun belongs to Yemenite Jewish families, who put the sealed pot in a very low oven on Friday before sunset and open it on Saturday morning to golden, sticky, layered rolls that taste faintly of caramel. In Rosh HaAyin and Tel Aviv's Kerem HaTeimanim it is now Saturday brunch for everyone, served with grated fresh tomato, fiery zhug and brown eggs baked in the same pot. The dough is stretched paper-thin with butter, rolled into logs and left to bake for 10 hours or more. Chef's tip: oil your work surface and hands rather than flouring them; flour stops the dough stretching thin enough to see through.
- Total time
- 720 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp baking powder in a large bowl. Add 1 ¼ cups water and 1 tbsp honey and knead for 10 minutes, by hand or in a mixer, into a smooth, soft dough that barely sticks.
10 minStep 2: Divide into 6 balls, coat each in a little 2 tbsp vegetable oil, cover and rest for at least 1 hour (or up to a day in the fridge) until very relaxed.
60 minStep 3: Oil your work surface. Press out one ball with oily hands, then gently pull it from the middle outwards into a large, very thin sheet, about 40 cm wide, so thin you can see the counter through it. Small tears are fine.
Step 4: Spread the sheet with a sixth of the 5 ½ oz butter. Fold the two sides into the middle so you have a long strip three layers thick, then roll it up tightly from the short end like a carpet. Repeat with the rest.
20 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 225°F (fan 203°F). Line a heavy pot or deep casserole that has a tight lid with baking paper, and pack the rolls in snugly side by side. Nestle 6 eggs in their shells in the gaps.
Step 6: Cover the pot tightly with a lid and a layer of foil underneath. Bake for 10–12 hours, overnight. Common mistake: a hotter oven to save time; the slow, low heat is what caramelises the jachnun to deep amber without drying it out.
660 minStep 7: In the morning the rolls should be deep golden-brown, crisp at the base and soft inside, and the eggs brown-shelled and creamy. Mix 4 ripe tomatoes with ½ tsp salt. Serve the jachnun hot with the tomato, 4 tbsp zhug (green chilli sauce) and peeled eggs.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jachnun take?
- About 720 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 660 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer pudas
Pudas are thin savoury pancakes. These low-calorie ones are made from rice, maize and wheat flour mixed with crumbled paneer, spinach, fenugreek and coriander and a fresh paste of onion, chilli, mint, garlic and ginger. The moisture in the vegetables and paneer is enough to bind the dough, so no ghee, oil, yogurt or water goes into it. Cook on a griddle with just a little oil and serve with tea, or with plain yogurt and pickle.
Stuffed green paratha
Bright green parathas: the dough is kneaded with puréed spinach and lemon, then filled with a gently spiced stuffing of crushed peas, grated cauliflower and crumbled paneer and cooked on a hot griddle. Soft inside with crisp spots outside. Serve hot with yogurt and chutneys.
Brown soup rolls
Small, soft bread rolls made with half plain and half wholemeal flour, shaped long and baked until golden. They're best warm from the oven with a bowl of soup, and freeze well once cooled.