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Atayef (Lebanese Mom's Recipe)

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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Dessert, Lebanese

Ingredients
  

Yeast Mixture:

  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water 105-110F
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Atayef:

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup fine semolina
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups warm water 105-110F

Attar (Simple Syrup)

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon rose water or more to taste
  • juice from half small lemon
  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water or more to taste

Ashta

  • 1 gallon whole milk
  • 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar or to taste
  • 1/2 cup orange blossom water

Instructions
 

Prep:

  • You want to first make the attar (simple syrup). Middle Eastern simple syrup uses a 2:1 ratio instead of the typical 1:1 ratio. You combine sugar, lemon juice, and water in a pot and bring it to a boil, then simmer it until the sugar is fully dissolved. Off the heat, add in your orange blossom and rose water, mix, and allow it to cool at room temperature.
  • Next, you’d make your ashta, which is the cream filling. The full recipe can be found on the blog.

Yeast Mixture:

  • Combine the yeast and 1 1/2 cups of the warm water (105-110F) in a medium bowl.
  • Add in one tablespoon of the sugar and whisk vigorously until you see some bubbles.
  • Cover with a clean towel and allow the mixture to sit for three minutes. Make sure all of the yeast has been dissolved.

Atayef:

  • After three minutes, combine with the yeast mixture, all of the flour, semolina, and the rest of the sugar, water, and salt. Whisk until just combined. It should look like a thin batter. Cover with a clean towel and set it aside for 15 minutes. The batter should be full of bubbles after 15 minutes. This batter is very alive, so you want to use it all immediately. The recipe also makes a lot of batter, so if you’re only feeding a few, cut the recipe in half.

Cook the Pancakes:

  • Spray a nonstick flat griddle pan lightly with cooking spray. Also, spray a plastic spatula you can use for the atayef. I made this recipe six or seven times during testing, so believe me when I tell you, the pan type and the spatula type do make a difference. So does spraying them with cooking spray.
  • Use a medium-sized to large ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter onto the pan over medium-high heat. Allow the pancake to cook on one side. The top should have a bubbly surface (a lot of holes), and the bottom should get golden brown. If you have to turn down or adjust the heat, do so. Do not flip, as we’re just cooking one side. When the bottom is golden brown, and the top is no longer wet, but set up, they’re done cooking.

Assemble:

  • Place each cooked pancake onto a plate as you continue to cook up the batter.
  • When finished, place about a heaping tablespoon or so of the ashta onto the pancake and then close it up by closing the edges together like a taco. Top it with the attar syrup, garnish with chopped pistachios, and enjoy! They’re best enjoyed fresh.

Video

Notes

  • Use the batter immediately after resting, as the batter is very active from the yeast.
  • Use fresh yeast for best results.
  • Eat immediately fresh.
  • Use a nonstick flat griddle pan and a plastic spatula and spray both lightly with cooking spray.