Kubaneh is a rich buttery Israeli bread & has originated from Yemen. It is a soft pull apart bread with a texture of a Brioche. It just melts in your mouth and you cannot stop at one.

I had this bread at a restaurant in Los Angeles and fell in love with it. Since then, I have experimented and have managed to develop a recipe I am in love with. The bread needs to kneaded aggressively to get the soft pillowy feel so i do recommend using a stand mixer. It pairs wonderfully with a quick tomato dip and butter. Enjoy this soft bread, trust me you’re about to find a new favorite!

Happy baking!

Ps: This video was taken when I was making double the quantity so you see double the ingredients.

Servings: 7 inch diameter bread, about 8 rolls

Prep Time: 1 hour

Rest Time: 2-3 hours

Baking Time: 50-60 mins

Total Time Taken: 5 hours

Ingredients:

For the dough-

• 113g + 7-9 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1 tbsp per roll)

• 92g Water (room temperature)

• 1 Egg plus egg wash

• 250g All Purpose Flour

• 4g Active dry yeast

• 50g Sugar

• 1tsp Salt

• 3 tbsp Nigella seeds

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (Optional topping)

• 1 tsp sea salt (Optional topping)

For the Tomato dip:

• 1 Tomato coarsely grated

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

For the Dough:

1. In a stand mixer- whisk the yeast and water together and let it stand for 5 mins.

2. Add an egg and whisk it in.

3. Add the flour and then the salt & sugar.

4. Knead the dough on low-medium speed for 2-3 mins till it comes together and forms a dough.

5. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

6. Knead for 10-15 minutes on medium-high speed. It should have an elastic & stretchy texture. Check to see it is.

7. Add the butter (113g) 2 tbsp at a time making sure its fully incorporated before adding more.

8. When all the butter is added, knead for an additional 7-10 minutes on medium speed, it will all comes together.

9. The dough will be very soft to touch, just a buttery pillow.

10. Transfer it to a greased large bowl, cover it and let it proof for 1.5-2 hours.

    • If you do not have a proofer, set the oven to the lowest setting (about 150F) and put some hot water in the oven. Turn OFF the oven, and then put in the covered dough.

    • You could even turn on the oven light for 10 mins and then put the covered dough in the oven with a bowl of hot water. Keep the oven lights on and the oven door shut.

11. The dough will have risen almost double in size by that time.

12. Prepare a 7” springform pan by greasing it with butter.

13. Transfer the dough on a greased surface and divide it into 7-9 equal portions. Approx 85-95g each.

14. On a lightly greased surface, flatten and stretch a ball into a square/rectangle. It is okay if it rips, it will end up inside so don’t worry.

15. Rub 1 tbsp of butter on the square & sprinkle some nigella seeds on it.

16. Push the dough away from you making it into a thin log. Then roll it into a coil like you would for a cinnamon bun.

17. Place it seam size down on the centre of the prepared pan. Repeat the process with the other dough balls and place it all around the centre ball.

18. Cover the pan & let it rest in room temperature for 1 hour.

19. Brush the surface with egg wash (mix egg with 1 tbsp water & 1 tsp salt) and sprinkle sesame seeds and sea salt (optional).

20. Preheat the oven to 350F towards the end of the resting time.

21. Place the pan and on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 320F and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

22. Check between the coils to ensure its baked through. Let it cool completely. & then remove from the pan to serve.

For the tomato dip-

1. Coarsely grate the tomato.

2. Add in the olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Mix well and it is ready to serve.

Notes/Tips:

• Kneading the dough takes time so be patient. This is not a recipe that i recommend making without a stand mixer because of the amount of kneading it needs.

• Make sure the dough is kneaded enough that it’s so soft to touch it seems like a buttery pillow.

• When the dough is done proofing it should double in size.

• Do not worry if the dough rips when you’re spreading it into a dough.

• Make sure you change the oven temperature to make sure the insides cook through and you don’t have raw dough inside.

• Let the rolls cool completely. This ensures there is no stickiness and a soft bread. If you don’t not let it cool completely it may seem uncooked in some spots.

• You can skip the nigella seeds if you want but it adds so much flavor to the bread.