Date Ma'rouk

Ingredients

• 1 kg flour
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 8 tablespoons sugar
• 100 g (or 1/4 cup) butter
• 2 1/2 cups warm milk (add more if the dough needs it)
• A pinch of salt
• A splash of orange blossom water
• Dates, mashed (use a pastry masher), ground cinnamon, ground anise and butter
• For brushing before/after baking:
• Simple syrup or date molasses (dibs)
• This delicious Ma'rouk with dates recipe is from a friend and chef on Sho Tabkhin Today:
• Nida Hadraj
• Click Nida's name to visit her page on our site
• Click this link to read the full details of Nida's recipe for Halabi Meshbek (the best Meshbek)
• For more of Nida's delicious sweets see: Cheese Halawa with Pistachio Mafruka
• To make Turkish Kunafa by Nida click the link

Method

1. Mix the ingredients well except for the dates.
2. Knead the mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Let the date ma'rouk dough ferment for about 1½ hours, until it doubles in size.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the dates and knead them with spices and butter.
5. Fill a piece of the fermented dough with the date mixture, then seal the dough around the dates.
6. Begin rolling the piece of dough to make it longer and higher, then join the ends together so it resembles a bracelet.
7. Place the date ma'rouk pieces on a baking tray and use kitchen scissors to decorate only the edges.
8. Brush the tops of the ma'rouk with a sugar-and-milk mixture, then dip them in sesame seeds.
9. Let the date ma'rouk rest for between one hour and one and a half hours, as needed, until the dough doubles in size.
10. Bake the date ma'rouk in the oven at 250°C until browned; when removed from the oven brush them with sugar syrup or date molasses to achieve the desired result.
11. Cover the date ma'rouk pieces with a cloth to keep them moist.