Levantine cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Mamool Madd

Semolina pastry baked in a tray with a thick layer of date paste between two crumbly dough layers.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 400 g fine durum semolina
• 150 g flour
• 200 g butter
• 120 ml lukewarm milk
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp orange blossom water
• 500 g dates (medjool)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Mix semolina, flour, sugar and salt, work in the melted butter and let the mixture rest covered for 1 hour – overnight also works – until crumbly-moist.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk, add to the semolina mixture with 2 tbsp orange blossom water and knead everything into a soft dough that just holds together.
3. Pit the dates, blend with the cinnamon and the remaining orange blossom water into a smooth paste and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to the size of the baking dish.
4. Press half the dough into a greased dish of about 28 × 20 cm, lay the date sheet on top, spread the remaining dough evenly over it and press smooth.
5. Press a diamond pattern into the surface with the back of a knife, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in the preheated oven at 180 °C top/bottom heat for 35–40 min. until the surface is light golden and the edge pulls away from the pan.
6. Let cool completely in the dish so the layers firm up, then cut along the diamonds and serve with tea.