Qatayef (Atayef)
Qatayef (Atayef) are a Middle Eastern dessert made from pancakes, filled with nuts or cheese, then deep fried or baked to crispy perfection and drizzled with simple syrup.
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- orange blossom water optional
Qatayef Batter
- 1¼ cup (150g) all purpose flour, spoon & leveled, or measured with a scale
- ¼ cup (45g) fine semolina flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1½ cup (225g) water
Filling
- 1 cup chopped pistachios or nut of choice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted may need more or less
Instructions
Simple Syrup
- In a medium sauce pan, add water and sugar and stir on medium heat until completely melted. Let it come to a boil and then turn off the heat, add orange blossom water (optional), and set aside to cool.
Filling
- Combine nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix. Set aside while prepping the batter.
Qatayef
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk. Then add the milk and water and whisk until completely smooth. Alternatively, you could place it all in a blender and mix until smooth. Once completely smooth, set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup of batter on the pan and let sit until it starts to bubble. Bubbles will form all over the pancake. Do not flip. Once completely covered in bubbles (See image in post), remove from heat and place on a plate. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.
How to Fill
- I usually like to fill each one as the next one cooks so that I can be sure the ends stick. If you wait until it cools, it could become hard to stick.
- Take a pancake, fold it, and start pinching the ends together, starting with one end. Pinch half closed, then start filling with the nut mixture (you can fill as much or as little as you like, but don't overstuff it), then pinch it closed completely. Repeat until you're done with all the Qatayef.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400° F
- Place Qatayef on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter on both sides.
- Place in the preheated oven for around 10 minutes until it's crispy. At this point, you could turn on the broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Freezing
- To freeze, skip the baking part and place them individually on a plate or baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour until they're solid. Then transfer them to a ziploc bag. When ready to eat, take one out of the ziploc bag and place it on a baking sheet, brush it with butter and bake it at 400° for about 15 minutes.
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