Sweet Wheat Pastry with Hard Boiled Eggs

Introduction

Sweet Wheat Pastry with Hard Boiled Eggs uses a 15-minute knead, a 12-hour rest, and a low 212 F bake to turn a simple dough into soft, layered rolls. The buttered folds give you a rich interior and a deeply cooked exterior, and the hard-boiled eggs make it fit a slow breakfast or a make-ahead brunch spread.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 hours
• Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
• Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 kg white wheat flour
• 10 g baking powder (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp white granulated sugar (or to taste)
• 1 leveled tbsp salt
• 2¼ cups of water
• Canola oil
• 200 g butter, soft margarine, or shortening
• 10 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center.
2. Add some of the water to the well, and mix with your hands. Gradually knead in the rest of the water, then continue kneading for 15 minutes. The dough should not be too soft or sticky.
3. Tear off a piece of dough the size of your fist. Flatten and roll it out on your work surface, then shape again into a ball. Repeat this step for the rest of the dough, then brush all the balls with a thin coating of oil.
4. Allow the dough to rest for about 1-2 hours, until they have sunken slightly.
5. Roll and stretch each ball out on a greased surface until it is very thin. Try to make the dough as thin as possible without it tearing.
6. Spread some soft butter over the whole surface of the flattened dough. Make a triangular fold lengthwise, like a shirt fold: fold one-third of the dough toward the middle then fold the other side. Make a small fold up and down, and start rolling (with greased hands) from the bottom to the top, like folding a sleeping bag. You should be left with an elongated, slightly fat rolled jachnun. Repeat this shaping step for all the dough balls.
7. Preheat oven to 212 F. Line a pot with slices of bread or pita so that it does not become overly dry while baking in the oven.
8. Place the unbaked jachnun into a cookie bag, with each bag holding a single layer of jachnun. This prevents loss of moisture. Stack the jachnun in the pot, with 2-3 rows stacked one on top of the other in a criss-crossed fashion (horizontally and vertically).
9. Cover the pot with the lid, and bake in the preheated oven for 6-10 hours.
10. Serve with hard-boiled eggs and tomato salsa, with a little zhug over the paste.

Variations

• Use soft margarine instead of butter if you want a dairy-free fat; the pastry stays rich but tastes less buttery.
• Use shortening instead of butter for firmer, more defined layers and a more neutral finish.
• Omit the 10 g baking powder for a slightly denser, tighter-textured pastry; the dough will still come together.
• Reduce the 23 tbsp white granulated sugar if you want the pastry less sweet and more balanced against the tomato salsa and zhug.
• Skip the zhug at serving if you want the eggs and pastry to read milder and less spicy.

Tips for Success

• After the 15-minute knead, the dough should feel smooth and only lightly tacky, not sticky enough to cling to your hands.
• Keep the dough balls, work surface, and your hands lightly coated with canola oil so the dough stretches thinly without grabbing.
• Spread the butter all the way to the edges of the flattened dough so the layers stay even after folding and rolling.
• Line the pot well with bread or pita and keep the lid on throughout baking to prevent the long oven time from drying the pastry out.
• When stretching each ball, stop as soon as you feel resistance; forcing it usually causes tears and weaker layering.

Storage and Reheating

Store the baked pastry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap pieces individually, place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Store the hard-boiled eggs separately in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They do not freeze well.

Reheat the pastry in a 300 F oven, covered loosely with foil, for 10 to 15 minutes from the fridge or until heated through. You can also microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds, but the layers will soften rather than stay distinct.

FAQ

Do you really need the 12-hour rest?

Yes. The long rest relaxes the dough so you can stretch it very thin without constant shrinking or tearing.

Can you use margarine or shortening instead of butter?

Yes. Margarine gives you a similar richness with less butter flavor, while shortening gives cleaner layers and a more neutral taste.

Why did the dough tear while stretching?

It usually means the dough did not rest long enough or the surface was not greased enough. Stretch gently and keep the dough lightly oiled as you work.

Why did the finished pastry turn out dry?

The usual causes are too little oil or butter, not enough protection from moisture loss in the pot, or an oven running hotter than 212 F. Keeping the pot lined and covered makes a noticeable difference.