Egyptian Fayesh (Tea Rusks)

A traditional Egyptian bread that can be twice-baked to turn into tea rusks. Perfect for tea-time munchies!

⏱️ Prep: 90 min🍳 Cook: 25 min🍽️ Makes 12

Nutrition

per bread rolls

139

Calories

—

Protein

—

Carbs

—

Fat

2 cups	480 ml	warm water (lukewarm, not hot and not cold)
1 1/2 tsp	7.5 ml	ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp	7.5 ml	yeast
1 tsp	5 ml	ground mahlab
1 Tbs	15 ml	sugar
1 Tbs	15 ml	oil
1/2 tsp	2.5 ml	salt
3 1/4 cups	780 ml	flour

In a large bowl mix the warm water, turmeric, yeast, mahlab, sugar, and oil. Whisk until well combined.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Mix until well combined. You can use a mixer but you will eventually have to knead with your hands as dough will get thick. Continue kneading until it forms a big, smooth ball of dough.
Cover the dough and let sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Dough should rise a lot in that time frame.
Cut the dough into 12 pieces of round shaped dough balls that are about 4 inches in diameter.
Place the dough balls side by side on baking pans (2 large baking pans with 6 pieces of dough on each).
Let the formed dough sit for another 30-40 minutes to allow them to rise again.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool.
If you want to keep the bread soft, store in an airtight container at room temperature. Otherwise, to turn them into traditional Egyptian tea rusks, harden the bread using the following methods: slice the bread into long pieces and let them sit out uncovered until they harden, OR re-bake the sliced bread pieces in the oven on low heat (about 200-225 degrees) for about an hour.
Serve with hot milk tea!