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Traditional Yemeni Bint al Sahn (Flaky Layered Sweet Bread with Ghee, Nigella Seeds, and Wild Honey)

Name: Traditional Yemeni Bint al Sahn (Flaky Layered Sweet Bread with Ghee, Nigella Seeds, and Wild Honey)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: middle_eastern
Ingredients: 350 g All-purpose flour; 3 pc Whole eggs; 90 g Clarified butter (ghee) melted warm; 80 ml Warm water; 5 g Active dry yeast; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Nigella seeds (black seeds); 100 g Pure wild honey for drizzling generously; 3 g Fine salt

The crowning symbol of Yemeni honor and celebration: over a dozen gossamer-thin layers of yeasted dough basted with melted ghee, sprinkled with aromatic black nigella seeds, baked to flaky golden heights, and drenched in rich warm honey.

Prep

25 min

Cook

25 min

Total

50 min

Oven

200°C (180°C vent.)

Ingredients

servings

All-purpose flour
350 g
Whole eggs
3 pc
Clarified butter (ghee) melted warm
90 g
Warm water
80 ml
Active dry yeast
5 g
Sugar
1 tsp
Nigella seeds (black seeds)
1 tbsp
Pure wild honey for drizzling generously
100 g
Fine salt
3 g

Preparation Steps

Knead flour with 2 eggs, yeast dissolved in warm water with sugar, salt, and 2 tbsp ghee into a soft, elastic dough. Divide into 12-14 equal balls and rest covered for 15 minutes.

Grease a round baking pan with ghee. Stretch each dough ball with ghee-coated fingers until translucent and paper-thin to fit the pan. Stack layers, brushing warm ghee generously between each sheet.

Brush top layer with beaten egg and scatter nigella seeds across surface. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until puffed and mahogany gold. Drench immediately with warm pure honey and serve piping hot.

Cooking Journal

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Nutrition Facts

per serving

Calories

420

Protein

8.8g

Carbohydrates

52g

Fat

20g

Allergens

GlutenMilkEggs

*estimated values per serving

Provenance & Public Domain Audit

Source: Traditional Middle Eastern & North African Gastronomic Archives / Public Domain Cookbooks (Historic Culinary Archives & Public Domain Heritage Collections)

Legal status: Public Domain (Traditional Heritage / CC0-compatible) • 17 U.S.C. § 105

License: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal

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Traditional Yemeni Bint al Sahn (Flaky Layered Sweet Bread with Ghee, Nigella Seeds, and Wild Honey)

Ingredients

Preparation Steps

Cooking Journal

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