This is one of the most loved and successful recipes I own. My mother in_law made it for me once when I was visiting her in Egypt. I fell in love with it. The Original Recipe was made with Zaatar Which is a middle eastern spice containing oregano and thyme. Zaatar can be found at middle eastern stores. You can find different blends originating from different middle eastern countries. We mix zaatar with olive oil to use as a spread on toast or pita for breakfast.
Warning:
I decided to change the filling into Nutella and that resulted in 2 things:
1- I regretted not doing this before and felt like I wasted years of my life not enjoying this yumminess.
2- I regretted doing it because it ruined the zaatar forever. I can not enjoy it the same way when I know there is something better out there.
Ingredients:
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon yeast
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup milk (or water)
Filling:
- Zaatar mixed with olive oil
- Or Nutella
- Or whatever you like
Directions:
Take a 1 cup of milk and warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds or until it is lukewarm (if you dip your fingers in the milk you won’t feel it because the milk is the same temperature as your body). Add to it 1 tablespoon sugar and the yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
In your mixing bowl add flour, rest of the sugar (1 tablespoon) and the salt. Mix them together and then add the rest of the milk (1/4 cup), the oil and the yeast mixture. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes by hand or few minutes with a dough machine until silky smooth.
Let the dough rest for about an hour or until it’s doubled in size.
Take the dough and shape it into a ball. Cut it into 12 or 16 pieces. I cut it into 12 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and let them rest for 10-15 minutes with a damp cloth.
Take each ball flatten it and put the filling of your choice then form it into a ball by closing the edges on each other. Put them on the tray an inch apart, giving them space to grow.
Pre-heat heat the oven to 375 °F or 190 °C. While waiting for the over to reach the desired temperature brush the buns with milk and let them rest. Cook them for 15 minutes or until golden brown color. Enjoy!
Note:
I don't like to brush the dough with egg wash because I feel it leaves an eggie taste. I prefer milk but egg wash works too.
In the below picture I promise the brown filling is Nutella and not the other thing it looks like ;)
Nutrition:
Without filling:
If cut into 12 buns, each bun is 228 calories
If cut into 16 buns, each bun is 171 calories
With zaatar filling:
If cut into 12 buns, each bun is 272 calories
If cut into 16 buns, each bun is 204 calories
