Desserts
Balah al-Sham (Deep-Fried Syrup Pastries)
Balah al-Sham — a classic Levantine sweet. Very tasty and easy to make. The dough is fried in cold oil (a key tip for success). Read the steps carefully and prepare delicious balah al-sham.
Balah al-Sham — a distinctive and popular Levantine pastry. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients
Start here, then move straight into the method.
- 300 g flour
- 100 g powdered milk
- 100 g starch (cornstarch)
- 100 g butter
- 5 eggs
- 400 g water
- Oil for frying
- Thick syrup (shira/qatir)
- For more of Um Taha’s sweets, see: Walnut Maamoul
Method
Follow the cooking sequence without leaving the page.
- Sift the flour, starch, and milk powder and set them aside.
- In a pot put the water and butter on the heat and reduce the flame slightly until the butter fully melts and the water boils; then add the flour gradually while continuing to stir over low heat.
- When you obtain a cohesive dough, turn off the heat and let it cool.
- When the dough has cooled, add the eggs one by one while beating with an electric whisk until you get a smooth, sticky dough.
- Place the balah al-sham dough in a piping bag and shape it as shown in the picture.
- Fry them in cold oil and do not stir them until the pieces puff up; then stir them until they turn golden.
- Dip the balah al-sham into very cold syrup immediately after removing them from the oil; leave them for about ten minutes, then drain them well and place them on the serving plate.
- For more of Umm Taha's sweets here's the link: date-filled maamoul with walnuts
Recipe tags
DessertsInternationalVegetarianNut free
Notes and serving ideas
- Walnut Maamoul
