full recipe – atayef bjebne cheesy pancakes

Enjoy these cheesy traditional Middle Eastern delights as a unique dessert or a luxurious snack, perfect for sharing with friends and family at any gathering!

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS
100g akkawi cheese(or low-moisture mozzarella)
4 tablespoons butter
White sugar, for sprinkling

Pancake batter
250g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour
1 tablespoon fine semolina
1 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoon active dried yeast
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water

To serve
Orange blossom water or rosewater

METHOD
To prepare the pancake batter
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 250g (1 2/3 cups) flour, 1 tablespoon fine semolina, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3/4 teaspoon yeast and 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.

In another bowl, combine 415ml water and 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water.

Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking continuously until well combined and smooth.

Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let the batter ‘ferment’ at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

To prepare the cheese filling
Grate 100g akkawi cheese. Taste the cheese – if it seems excessively salty, leave to soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes, then drain well and repeat until the desired saltiness is achieved.

To cook the pancakes
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour a cupful of batter into the pan; the batter should spread to form a thick circle.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes, without flipping the pancake over, until the bottom is lightly golden and the top surface is dry and bubbly. (These pancakes are only cooked on one side.)

Transfer to a tray and cover with a cloth to keep the pancakes soft while cooking the remaining batter.

To assemble the dish
Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Place a pancake on the lined baking tray, white bubbly side up. Brush a thin layer of melted butter over it, sprinkle with a little sugar, then top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the grated akkawi cheese, leaving a 1 cm border all around the edge.

Spread melted butter on the white bubbly side of another pancake and place it over the cheese. Seal the borders by pinching the pancakes together.

Brush more melted butter over the top to enhance browning, then repeat with the remaining pancakes and filling, spacing them evenly apart on the baking tray.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the tops have browned and the cheese has melted.

To serve
Serve warm, drizzled with orange blossom water, rosewater or a light syrup for added flavour. This dessert will also keep covered in the fridge for a few days.Beit Trad by Sarah Trad, as told by Gilles Khoury, published by Thames & Hudson Australia, AUD$69.99, available 31 March 2026.

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