4 lb Flour
3 lb Butter
2 lb Sesame seeds;plus additional
-toasted seeds for sprinklng
1 tb Dry yeast dissolved in
-1/2 cup water
20 g Gum arabic; optional
1 tb Saffron stamens
1/2 lb Smen; seasoned butter
1 tb Cinnamon, ground
1 qt Vegetable oil
1 qt Vegetable oil; for frying
10 lb Honey
"This recipe is frankly for historical purposes as its
yield indicates suitability for commercial or
restaurant production rather than home baking. With
unusual proportions of butter, oil and honey in the
batter, yeast for rising and more oil for frying,
making the cookies would be rather daunting were it
not for the fact that they help glorify a particularly
holy celebration."
1. In a food processor process all the ingredients,
except the honey, into a paste.
2. Take a walnut-sized piece of paste and roll it out
very thin. Using a metal cut-out typically found in
Morocco, with different designs, cut out cookies and
let them rise for 15 minutes. Deep-fry the cookies in
the remaining quart of oil in batches over low heat
just to brown.
3. Soak the cookies in the honey for 15 minutes.
Remove and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Makes several hundred cookies.
Source: "The Great Book of Couscous" by Copeland Marks
