Algerian Pastry - Makroud
Recipe Name: Makroud
Subtitle: semolina pastry
Culture: Algeria
Preparation time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Recipe story:
Makroud is a popular pastry in Algeria and Tunisia. It’s simply baked semolina dough dipped in syrup. Very nice and delicious pastry.
Ingredients:
For the dough
· 3 ½ cups medium semolina
· ½ cup flour
· 1 cup clarified butter
· 2 pinches of salt.
· ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
· 2/4 cup of warm water.
· 4 tablespoons of orange blossom water.
· Vegetable oil.
For the filling
· ½ Ib date paste
· ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
· ¼ teaspoon ground clove
· 2 tablespoons clarified butter.
· 3 tablespoons of orange blossom water
For the syrup
· 1/2 cup honey
· 2 tablespoon orange blossom waters
· 1 lemon juiced.
Direction:
Mix the date paste with all the stuffing ingredients until obtaining a smooth paste. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, pour the semolina, baking soda and flour. Make a well and pour the melted clarified butter.
Mix for two minutes so the butter is absorbed by semolina. Let stand at least 2 hours or more if possible.
Moisten with orange blossom water and warm water, and mix with your fingertips without over working or kneading the dough. Add water if necessary. Once reaching a compact ball of dough, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 45 minutes.
Take a good amount of dough and shape a sausage. With the index finger, make a gutter in the center lengthwise. Roll a little strand of date filling and place it into the gutter. Pull the edges gently to obtain a sausage of about 1 inch diameter.
Repeat until dough is used.
Preheat the oven to 350 f (180 degrees), and bake the pan on the center of the rack for 30 minutes. (watch carefully so they evenly get a nice golden color).
Make sure the diamonds are arranged close to each other to prevent the dates from burning.
Syrup
Over low heat, cook all the ingredients of the syrup and dip each cooled makroud on both sides.
Set aside for 30 minutes and repeat for the remaining.
