Mahlouach-Yemenite Pancakes

byZula's Note:

Mahlouach (pronounced “mah-lou-wach”) sounds suspiciously like mallah, an Arabic precursor to phyllo dough. This puff pastry-like pancake bread is served fried, both in Yemenite restaurants and in homes. Like Yemenite Sabbath breads kubbanah and jahnoun, mahlouach is so popular with Israelis that it is made commercially and sold frozen in supermarkets around the country. Eat as is, dipped in hot sauce or soup, or filled like a crepe with spinach or meat. From ‘The Foods of Israel Today’.

• Total Time: 10 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 10 hrs
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½-1 cup unsalted butter or ½-1 cup pareve margarine , at room temperature

Directions:

1. Mix together the flour, water, oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Knead lightly for about 10 minutes. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll out 1 piece to a 9 by 9-inch square. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface (more butter will make the finished bread richer and more flaky). Fold the dough in half to form a rectangle. Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces of dough. Pile the rectangles on top of each other, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Roll each piece again to a 9 by 9-inch square and fold in half. Stack, cover, and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Repeat this procedure 3 more times. After the final fold, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. Roll out each piece of dough to a 9-inch circle. In a 9-inch frying pan with a lid, heat the remaining tablespoons of butter over a medium-low flame.
5. Place 1 dough circle in the pan, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the dough over, cover, and cook another 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining dough. (You will not have to add more butter for frying, as the raw mahlouach are already quite buttery.).

Reviews

[Lioness]

I made this (it takes two days). It was perfect. I froze some of the dough for future cooking!