>Have been looking for quite some time for the recipe of an arabian bread
>called "arracadas" (earrings) in Spanish.
>The finished bread is circular, hollow, pillow-like, thin-crusted,
>brown-baked and smothered with sesame seeds. It has an off-center hole
>for merchants to carry them in a pole in the public markets.
>My supplier tells me its name is kah
Here is a recipe for an arabian bread called ka'kat which sounds like what
you're looking for. According to Alford and Duguid, there are dozens of
regional versions. They give this one in "Flatbreads and Flavors".
Arabian Bread-Ka'kat
2 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
4-5 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp mahleb, ground (a spice available in middle eastern groceries)
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
3-4 tbsp sesame seeds
You will need a medium sized bread bowl, 2 large baking sheets, and a pastry
brush. In the bread bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Add 2
to 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, stirring constantly in same direction until a
thick dough begins to form. Then stir 100 times in the same direction, about 1
minute. Let rest for 10 minutes. Add the salt, butter, and mahleb, and stir;
contiue to add flour using a wooden spoon to stir it in. When the dough will no
longer take any more flour, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead
for 8 to 10 mihutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding flour only when
necessary. Rinse out the bread bowl, oil lightly, and return the dough to the
bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in volume,
approximately 1 and 1/2 hours. Punch down dough and divide into 16 pieces. On a
lightly floured surface, roll each piece under your palms into a cigar shaped
rope 6 to 7 inches long. Pinch together the ends of each rope to form an oval
shaped loop. Place the ka'kat on lightly oiled baking sheets, at least 1/2 inch
apart. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Place the racks in the upper part of
the oven, and preheat the oven to 400 F. Just before baking, brush the breads
with egg wash and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until
nicely browned; switch the baking sheets after 10 minutes. Cool slightly on a
rack, then wrap in a cloth to keep warm. Serve warm.
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