Knafeh is a traditional Arab dessert made typically with katafi (shredded phyllo dough). It's layered with cheese and soaked in simple syrup called attar. It's popular in the Levant especially, though it's served throughout the Middle East. You can have knafeh for breakfast or dessert and it's served year-round but particularly is thought of as a special occasion or holiday dish.
Palestinian knafeh is the most well known in my opinion and it's called Knafeh Nabulseyeh after the city of Nablus. I've had it many times and it's so delicious. The version I'm showing you today is the Lebanese style of Knafeh. I call it Lebanese Knafeh Na'ameh (na'ameh means fine) because it's made with fine semolina, requires fine crumbs and results in a smooth fine crust. Another difference in Lebanese Knafeh is it's typically served in fresh kaak that is soaked in simple syrup. I'll be following up with a kaak recipe but won't be sharing that yet. This recipe will give you such a delicious, cheesy treat and requires only a few ingredients. It's on my top desserts list for a reason and once you make it you'll see why for yourself.
Why you should make this recipe:
- Requires only a few ingredients
- Can be made for breakfast or dessert
- Absolutely delicious treat
Ingredients for Lebanese Knafeh Na'ameh:
- Semolina - The main and only flour in this dish
- Milk - To help thin the cheese mixture and to help bind the dough
- Ghee - Samneh or Ghee is clarified butter and is preferred when making Lebanese sweets (you can use unsalted butter instead in a pinch). I show you how to make it here.
- Rose Water - For floral flavoring
- Orange Blossom Water - For floral and sweet flavoring
- Sugar - Adds sweetness and aids in browning
- Salt - Cuts the sweetness and brings out the rest of the flavors
- Simply Syrup - Attar or Middle Eastern style simple syrup which is a 2:1 ratio of sugar and water. You can find a recipe and how to do it here.
- Cheese - I'm using fresh mozzarella, low moisture mozzarella and akawi cheese (you can find this cheese at your local Middle Eastern market). Akawi should be pre-soaked in cold water for a few hours, up to overnight before using to remove the saltiness.
- Sweet Pistachios - For garnish
How to make Lebanese Knafeh Na'ameh:
*You can find pre-made dough in the freezer section of your local Middle Eastern grocery store. You can skip to the step where you're pressing the mixture into the pan if you do use the frozen dough.*
Dough:
- Melt ghee and milk together and set aside to cool.
- Combine the dough ingredients including the cooled milk & ghee together in a large bowl and mix until the semolina is hydrated and everything combined. It will look like a thick paste.
- Pour this dough mixture into a prepared baking tray that is lined with parchment paper and sprayed well with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. It will not gain in color. It won't spread or puff up either, it will just become drier and more look like a set dough.
- Once baked, set the dough aside to cool for ten minutes, then break up into large chunks with your hands and place the pieces into your food processor.
- Begin to break down the dough in your food processor until you have fine crumbs. (This will take a few minutes). In my testing I didn't do this next step and it's optional, but it’s traditionally how it's done and highly recommended it if you have the time and patience.
- Optional* - Pour the crumbs through a sieve to get almost powder-like crumbs for your dough. Na'ameh means fine so that's why we use fine semolina and we want very fine crumbs to form a uniform smooth top crust. I didn't do this step and it still turned out fine as well , but I'm leaving it in as an option.
- Press the crumbs into a prepared 8" round cake pan that has been lined with parchment paper and greased well with cooking spray and ghee. Use your hands at first to do this and then the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press everything in. Make sure to not go up the sides. Set the pan aside.
Cheese Filling:
- Combine the cheese ingredients in a large pot over medium heat.
- Begin to melt down the cheese over several minutes, around 5-10 total or until the cheese mixture oozes out liquid, becomes more elastic and a uniform ball.
- Pour this cheese mixture into the pressed crust and use your fingers to spread it out to the edges making sure to leave about a ¼" gap from the edge. The motion to press it out should be similar to when you make focaccia and you're dimpling the dough.
Baking and Serving:
- Traditionally this is cooked over an open flame as we rotate every minute or so with a quarter turn until the crust is browned and cheese is melted. Make sure the pan is covering only half the flame because it will burn the center if it's too centered over the heat. Use tongs to keep rotating the pan for even baking. You can pat the cheese a bit dry with a paper towel if there's more moisture being released during cooking. Cooking the knafeh will take 10-15 minutes over medium to medium-low heat. Indicators for the knafeh being done is you'll smell toasted crust, you'll see the edges become dark golden brown and you'll see the crust begin to solidify and no longer be crumbly. If the color of the sides are dark brown, that means your knafeh will be dark brown as long as you kept rotating continuously for even cooking. So don't let it get black and burnt!
- Allow the knafeh to cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes before running a paring knife or offset spatula around the edges and flipping it over onto a serving platter or plate. Peel the parchment off the top and begin to spoon over more simple syrup on top while the knafeh is warm. Garnish with your chopped pistachios and cut to serve. Serve with more attar on top of each plated knafeh. This dish is best served warm, so reheat in the microwave or keep it warm over a water bath. Enjoy!
More Great Lebanese Recipes:
- Lebanese Stuffed Vegetarian Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)
- Lebanese Mammal Cookies
- Lebanese Bizella (Beef, Carrot and Pea Stew)
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Lebanese Knafeh Na'ameh
Ingredients
Dough:
- ¾ cup whole milk 6 oz
- ⅛ cup ghee/samneh/clarified butter use unsalted butter as a substitute (30 ml)
- 1 ¼ cup fine semolina 7.8 oz
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 15 grams
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ tablespoon attar simple syrup
- ½ tablespoon rose water
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt 1.5 grams
Cheese Filling:
- 110 grams low moisture shredded mozzarella room temperature
- 220 grams akawi cheese shredded and room temperature, pre-soaked in cold water for 5-24 hours
- 110 fresh mozzarella shredded, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Garnish/Serving:
- ⅛ cup sweet pistachios finely chopped
- more attar or simple syrup
Instructions
Dough:
- Melt ghee and milk together and set aside to cool.
- Combine the dough ingredients including the cooled milk & ghee together in a large bowl and mix until the semolina is hydrated and everything combined. It will look like a thick paste.
- Pour this dough mixture into a prepared baking tray that is lined with parchment paper and sprayed well with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. It will not gain in color. It won't spread or puff up either, it will just become drier and more look like a set dough.
- Once baked, set the dough aside to cool for ten minutes, then break up into large chunks with your hands and place the pieces into your food processor.
- Begin to break down the dough in your food processor until you have fine crumbs. (This will take a few minutes). In my testing I didn't do this next step and it's optional, but traditionally how it's done and highly recommended if you have the time and patience.
- Optional* - Pour the crumbs through a sieve to get almost powder-like crumbs for your dough. Na'ameh means fine so that's why we use fine semolina and we want very fine crumbs to form a uniform smooth top crust. I didn't do this step and it still turned out fine as well , but I'm leaving it in as an option.
- Press the crumbs into a prepared 8" round cake pan that has been lined with parchment paper and greased well with cooking spray and ghee. Use your hands at first to do this and then the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press everything in. Make sure to not go up the sides. Set the pan aside.
Cheese Filling:
- Combine the cheese ingredients in a large pot over medium heat.
- Begin to melt down the cheese over several minutes, around 5-10 total or until the cheese mixture oozes out liquid, becomes more elastic and a uniform ball.
- Pour this cheese mixture into the crust and use your fingers to press it out to the edges making sure to leave about a ¼" gap from the edge. The motion to press it out should be similar to when you make focaccia and you're dimpling the dough.
Baking and Serving:
- Traditionally this is cooked over an open flame as we rotate every minute or so with a quarter turn until the crust is browned and cheese is melted. Make sure the pan is covering only half the flame because it will burn the center if it's too centered over the heat. Use tongs to keep rotating the pan for even baking. You can pat the cheese a bit dry with a paper towel if there's more moisture being released during cooking. Cooking the knafeh will take 10-15 minutes over medium to medium-low heat. Indicators for the knafeh being done is you'll smell toasted crust, you'll see the edges become dark golden brown and you'll see the crust begin to solidify and no longer be crumbly. If the color of the sides are dark brown, that means your knafeh will be dark brown as long as you kept rotating continuously for even cooking. So don't let it get black and burnt!
- Allow the knafeh to cool slightly, about 5-10 minutes before running a paring knife or offset spatula around the edges and flipping it over onto a serving platter or plate. Peel the parchment off the top and begin to spoon over more simple syrup on top while the knafeh is warm. Garnish with your chopped pistachios and cut to serve. Serve with more attar on top of each plated knafeh. This dish is best served warm, so reheat in the microwave or keep it warm over a water bath. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in a container covered and re-heat when serving.
- You can use frozen knafeh dough to save some time.
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