Mimi’s Spiced Sweet Bread (Kleeja)
This recipe comes from my best friend’s mom. It’s a Middle Eastern sweet bread that’s perfect toasted up for breakfast or in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea. Don’t be afraid to “make bread” – it’s really not a hard thing to do!
INGREDIENTS
- 10 cups of bread flour (2 1/2 lb.)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp anise powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup sugar added to 2 cups warm whole milk
- 1 package of yeast added to 1/2 cup warm water + 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1-2 egg whites for brushing
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl – mix well (if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you can place the dry ingredients into the bowl – do NOT use a hand held electric mixer, the weight of the dough will probably break the motor)
- Add in the melted butter and oil while the mixer is going – if using your hands, get mixin’!
- Next, add in the water and yeast mixture
- Lastly, mix in the warm milk and sugar mixture
- Your dough should be moist, sticky and, well, dough-like – it should not be dry and crumbly nor too wet
- Place the dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap – place the dough in a warm place away from any drafts for 2-3 hours (until it has doubled in size) so it can rise
- I always place my rising dough in the cabinet with our cable box, etc. because the equipment gives off some heat and helps the rising process
- After the dough has rested for 2-3 hours, roll pieces of dough of desired size into cylinders and twist the dough into a knot (I used a small handful)
- Place the knotted buns onto a parchment paper lined (or greased) baking sheet and brush the tops with egg whites
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 15 minutes on the top rack and approximately 15 minutes on the bottom rack (after making these a bunch, I’ve settled on 13 minutes on top, 13 minutes on bottom)
- Recipe yields approximately 35-38 buns
- These freeze really well – once they’ve cooled, just place them in a Ziploc bag and pop in the freezer!
