Soft Orange Safouf

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour, minus 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups farina flour or fine semolina
• 4 tablespoons regular semolina
• 1/2 teaspoon kaak spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice, or more as needed depending on the flour used
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• syrup for the top
• For more Arabic sweets from Nicole, here is Homemade Baklava
• We also recommend making Forinoir Cake

Method

1. Sift the flour and place it in a bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well.
2. In another bowl, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice, then add the oil and mix.
3. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and stir well until the safouf mixture is combined. You should get a medium-soft mixture, not stiff. You can add a little more juice at this stage if the mixture is too thick.
4. Grease a baking tray with a little tahini and pour in the safouf batter.
5. Place the tray in a preheated oven and bake on the middle rack for about 40 minutes at a low temperature, around 150°C.
   Timers: 40 min
6. Then brush the top with a little syrup and brown it.
7. Cover the tray with another tray and leave the safouf in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. This step is important for two reasons: first, it keeps the safouf soft; second, if it is not fully cooked, this helps finish baking it properly.
   Timers: 15 min
8. Remove the tray from the oven after 15 minutes, uncover it, and let it cool to room temperature.
   Timers: 15 min