This Yemeni Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat al Nahl) is soft, fluffy, and filled with cream cheese, then topped with sesame seeds and honey syrup. A step-by-step recipe perfect for brunch or dessert.
This Yemeni honeycomb bread, also known as khaliat al nahl, is made from a super soft dough filled with cream cheese, baked until golden, then finished with a drizzle of honey syrup. Each piece pulls apart effortlessly, making it perfect for sharing with coffee or tea. This recipe walks you through every step so you get bakery-style results at home.
If you're a fan of easy dough recipes, try my Fatayer, Manakeesh, or Turkish Pide recipes.
Jump to:
Such an easy and delicious recipe. It looks like it will be a lot of effort, but it doesn't take long at all. The dough came out soft and fluffy, and it didn't last very long. We enjoyed it with tea, nuts, and cake. Very delicious.
-Marah
🍯 What is Yemeni Honeycomb Bread?
Honeycomb Bread is a beloved Yemeni appetizer made from soft, pillowy dough filled with cream cheese and finished with a drizzle of sweet honey syrup. Known as khaliat al nahl, which translates to "bee's honeycomb" in Arabic, this bread gets its name from the signature honeycomb pattern formed when the dough is arranged and baked together in the pan.
While it's a well-known dish in Yemen, honeycomb bread is enjoyed throughout the Middle East and is commonly served year-round for breakfast, brunch, or special gatherings.
♥ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy dough - a fluffy and soft dough that takes only 5 minutes to knead into a soft ball.
Cream cheese - Who doesn't love bread stuffed with cream cheese? YUM!
Honey Syrup - The sweetness of the honey combined with the soft dough and the cream cheese really brings this Honeycomb Bread recipe together.
Simple ingredients - Most pantries will have all the ingredients for the dough, filling, and drizzle.
Make-ahead friends - You can make and bake the dough ahead of time. When you're ready to serve, warm it up, then drizzle warm honey on top.
📝 Ingredient Notes
A full list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Flour: All purpose flour is used in this recipe. No need for bread flour or any other type of flour.
- Yeast: I love using active dry yeast, but instant yeast will work as well.
- Milk: Whole milk is used for this honeycomb bread recipe for the richness, but any other type of milk will work.
- Sugar: A little sugar to feed the yeast. You can even use honey instead.
- Salt: Some salt to enhance and flavor the dough.
- Olive oil: Creates a softer dough, but you can also use melted butter or any neutral oil.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to use block cream cheese, and cut it while still cold.
- Honey: Warm honey to drizzle on the bread.
- Nigella & Sesame seeds: I love adding a combination to the bread, but you can use one or the other, or leave it out entirely.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍴Special Equipment
springform pan
I find it easiest to use a Sprinform pan because of the easy release. You can also use a round pan, but make sure to grease.
✨ Variations
Fillings - Instead of cream cheese, you can use Nutella, chocolate, or other types of cheese, like feta.
Toppings - In place of nigella seeds, you can use za'atar or everything but the bagel seasoning, like my Stuffed Bagel Bombs.
𓎩 Step-by-Step Instructions
A few instruction photos to help you nail this recipe every time.
Step 1
In a medium bowl, add warm milk and sugar and stir until combined, then sprinkle the package of yeast on top and set aside to for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate and foam.
In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine all purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, olive oil, and the activated yeast mixture, and knead for 5 minutes until it forms a smooth ball of dough.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour in a warm place.
🎩Trick: if your kitchen is cool, place the bowl in a turned-off oven with the light on.
Step 2
Flatten each round ball into a small circle and add a cream cheese cube to the center and close the dough from all sides into each other and form a ball. Roll the ball into your hands and smooth it out.
Step 3
Place all 16 pieces in the prepared pan, starting with the center ball and moving out into the shape that resembles a honeycomb. Cover the pan and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour until the balls have puffed up.
Step 4
Once the Honeycomb bread is done rising, brush with milk, then sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Step 5
Once baked, drizzle with honey, and enjoy
📹 Recipe Video
💬 FAQ
Absolutely! You can stuff the bread with chocolate, feta cheese, pistachio spread, nuts, or other spreads.
Yes, a springform pan would work great with this recipe!
💡Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly - As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off.
Don't add too much flour: This dough will be tacky, but shouldn't stick to your hands. If you feel like it's way too sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time.
Proof in pre-heated oven: One trick I love doing is to pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then turning off the oven and letting my dough proof in the oven. This cuts down on proofing time, especially if I'm in a hurry, but it also helps in the winter when it's especially cold.
Cold cream cheese: I find it helps to work with cream cheese straight out of the refrigerator so that it's not too soft and doesn't leak out.
❄ Storage
Any leftover Yemeni Honeycomb Bread can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days, or wrapped in the refrigerator. Warm slightly before enjoying again.
Did you make this recipe or any other recipe on my website? I'd love to hear about it! Please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Don't forget to Tag me on Instagram or Facebook when you recreate a recipe! The feedback helps both me and the readers!
Also, be sure to add us as a trusted site on Google so that our recipes show up more in your searches!
📖 Recipe Card
Yemeni Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat al Nahl)
Ingredients
Yeast Mixture
- ⅔ cup (180 g) warm milk 110° F.
- 1 (7 g) package active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Dough
- 2¼ cup (270 g) all purpose flour see notes
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar you can also use honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Filling
- 6-8 oz. cream cheese cubed into 16 pieces
Topping
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Sesame or nigella seeds
Honey Syrup
- ⅓ cup honey warmed
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a medium bowl, add warm milk and sugar and stir until combined, then sprinkle the package of yeast on top and set aside to for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate and foam.⅔ cup (180 g) warm milk, 1 (7 g) package active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar
- In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine all purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, olive oil, and the activated yeast mixture, and knead for 5 minutes until it forms a smooth ball of dough.2¼ cup (270 g) all purpose flour, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoon olive oil
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour in a warm place.
Shape the dough
- Prepare a 9 or 10 inch springform pan (you can also use a round pan) by lining it with parchment paper, or grease with melted butter or oil.
- Once dough is ready, divide equally into 16 round balls.
- Flatten each round ball into a small circle and add a cream cheese cube to the center and close the dough from all sides into each other and form a ball. Roll the ball into your hands and smooth it out.6-8 oz. cream cheese
- Place all 16 pieces in the prepared pan, starting with the center ball and moving out into the shape that resembles a honeycomb. Cover the pan and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour until the balls have puffed up.
Bake the Honeycomb Bread
- Halfway through the rise, Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Once the Honeycomb bread is done rising, brush with milk, then sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.1 tablespoon milk, Sesame or nigella seeds
Honey Syrup
- While the Honeycomb Bread bakes, prepare honey by heating it in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.⅓ cup honey
- Once the Honeycomb Bread is done baking, remove from oven and immediately pour the honey all over.
- Enjoy warm
Video
Notes
- It is highly recommended to weigh ingredients. If you choose to use cup measurements for flour, properly measure your flour:
- Fluff the flour with a spoon
- spoon flour into a measuring cup, one spoon at a time
- scrape with a butter knife to level
Such an easy and delicious recipe. It looks like it will be a lot of effort, but it doesn't take long at all. The dough came out soft and fluffy, and it didn't last very long. We enjoyed it with tea, nuts, and cake. Very delicious.