Baked Qatayef with Walnuts and Cinnamon
Qatayef are sweet folded pancakes. This home version is filled with walnuts and cinnamon, baked, then finished with sugar syrup.
Makes: about 20, depending on size
Total time: about 90 minutes, including resting
Contains: wheat and walnuts. Using ghee or butter also adds dairy.
Ingredients
Batter
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g fine semolina
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 500 ml lukewarm water, plus a little extra if needed
Filling
- 180 g finely chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Syrup and baking
- 200 g sugar
- 150 ml water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
- 40 g melted Project Wadi Attir samneh (clarified butter). Alternatively, use melted butter or 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- For a honey finish instead of syrup: 3 to 4 tablespoons honey from Project Wadi Attir’s beehives, to taste
Method
- Combine the dry batter ingredients, then gradually whisk in the lukewarm water until smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. The batter should pour easily. If needed, thin it with water one tablespoon at a time.
- Meanwhile, bring the syrup sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, add orange blossom water if using, and leave to cool.
- Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.
- Heat a dry nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake to form a round about 9 cm across. Cook on one side only for about 2 minutes, until holes appear and the top loses its wet shine. Do not flip.
- Place the pancakes in a single layer on a tray and cover with a clean towel. Do not stack while hot. Let them cool slightly, but fill while still soft.
- Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of the bubbly side. Fold in half and pinch the edges firmly together. Avoid overfilling. If the edges will not seal, lightly dampen them with a fingertip.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush both sides with ghee, butter or oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden.
- Briefly dip the hot qatayef in the cooled syrup, or drizzle with syrup to taste. Serve immediately.
Serving with our honey
For the honey version, skip making the sugar syrup and do not dip the qatayef in syrup. After baking, drizzle the warm pastries with honey from Project Wadi Attir’s beehives. Start with a little and add more to taste.
A useful tip
Cook a test pancake first. If the base browns before the top dries, reduce the heat. Keeping the pancakes covered helps them stay flexible enough to seal.