Honeycomb Bread

This honeycomb bread is our version of the famous Yemeni dessert (known as ‘khaliat nahal’), made with a sweet honey syrup. It is a soft, pull-apart bread, made from sweet, pillowy dough balls that are arranged in a circular pattern which resembles a honeycomb. It is brushed with a sweet glaze to give it a shiny sweet finish, making it great for a light dessert or a sweet breakfast.

To make the honey syrup of this recipe, we have used Buram Black Forest Honey, provided to us by one of our partners, ADK General Trading. Black forest honey is darker in colour than normal honey, and has a rich, bold flavour with malty, slightly tangy notes. It is great for using in desserts as well as in traditional home remedies due to its antioxidant properties.

You can use the Gannamart App to get Buram Black Forest Honey or get in touch with ADK General Trading on their Viber hotline 736-3663.

Makes: 19-20 small buns

Ingredients:

For the bread

• 1 cup warm full cream milk
• 1 ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 egg
• 3 ½ cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp flour (to dust the kneading surface)
• 1 cup cream cheese (cold)
• 2 tsp unsalted butter (to grease the tray)

For the honey syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tbsp Buram Black Forest Honey

For the egg wash and topping

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp full cream milk
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds (you can also use white sesame seeds)

Instructions:

1. Into a large bowl, add in 1 cup warm full cream milk (the milk shouldn’t be hot but warm enough so that it will help the instant yeast to bloom), 1 ½ tbsp melted unsalted butter, ¼ cup sugar, 2 tsp instant yeast and 1 egg. Using a whisk, mix for about 30 seconds – just enough to break the egg and incorporate it in.
2. Then, add in 3 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp salt and 2 tbsp plain yoghurt, folding it in using a spatula until it becomes a slightly dry and shaggy dough.
3. Dust your kneading surface with 1 tbsp flour and knead the dough. To do this, first push the heel of your palm into the ball of dough, starting away from you. Then, lift the far side of the dough up and fold it in the middle towards you, while stretching it very lightly. Continue kneading like this for 10 minutes. The dough should become slightly sticky and soft to the touch.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (preferably glass) and cover with a towel or food wrap. Let it rest for 1 hour.
5. Prepare your trays by brushing 2 tsp butter on the bottom and sides of two 8-inch trays.
6. When the dough is done resting, uncover the bowl – it should have risen and almost doubled in size. Punch the dough once to let the air out and take it out of the bowl. Divide it into small pieces (each dough piece should be about 3 tbsp); you should be able to get 19-20 pieces.
7. Then, form the dough pieces into balls using the palm of your hand.
8. Flatten out a dough ball and slightly stretch the edges using both your thumbs and index fingers. Place about 2 tsp cream cheese in the centre of the dough, Then, stretch the dough surrounding the cream cheese. Take both sides of the dough and pinch over the cream cheese covering it. Smooth out the cream cheese-filled dough ball in your palm. Repeat this step for all the dough balls.
9. Next, place the dough balls in the prepared trays in a circular pattern, starting from the edge of the tray and going towards the centre. Leave some space in between each dough ball so that it can rise and expand while baking. Cover the tray and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
10. In the meantime, prepare the honey syrup. Into a saucepan, add in 1 cup sugar and ¾ cup water. Heat on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes – while stirring occasionally using a spatula – until the sugar dissolves and becomes slightly viscous. Turn off the heat, add in 1 tbsp Buram Black Forest Honey and stir it in to mix it with the melted sugar. Now, the honey syrup will be a golden colour. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to let it cool down and thicken.
11. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
12. To prepare the egg wash, crack one egg into a small bowl, add in 1 tbsp full cream milk and whisk using a fork until fully mixed.
13. Uncover the rested dough and brush the egg wash evenly on top of each dough ball. Then, sprinkle a couple of black sesame seeds on top of each dough ball.
14. Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake the bread for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Once baked, it should be golden brown in colour, shiny and just slightly hard on top.
15. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool down at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
16. Then, pour the honey syrup on top, covering each dough piece evenly. The honeycomb bread is now ready to be served. Enjoy!