Kubaneh is a Yemenite bread that traditionally is being baked overnight next to jachnoon (overnight rolls) and hard boiled eggs, to be served on Shabbat morning.

This version is a quick 45 minutes one, which still yields the crispy crust and a soft, buttery and a slightly sour-bread taste on the inside.

To achieve the wonderful taste of a real kubaneh, it’s best to use samneh, Yemenite clarified butter, or niter kibbeh, spiced clarified butter from Ethiopia, or ghee, the more readily available Indian clarified butter. It is easy to prepare samneh at home, a simple procedure that takes about ten minutes. But you can also use store-bought ghee (available at most Whole Foods stores and at Indian markets) or niter kibbeh (available at Ethiopian markets). Want to make it even easier? Simply use butter. Butter is a good substitute to anything…

Serve with a simple spicy tomato salsa on the side, the traditional Yemenite way. This simply spicy fresh tomato dip is prepared usually with Yemenite spicy cilantro and chili pepper sauce called schug. If you can get schug (available in the U.S. at some kosher markets), simply grate 3 tomatoes and mix in schug to taste, a little salt and one tablespoon olive oil. Otherwise, use the recipe below.

Kubaneh, Yemenite bread with spicy tomato sauce

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: Breakfast, Pastries, Shabbat, YemeniCuisine: YemeniDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

baking time

minutes

Total time

hours

minutes

Kubaneh is a Yemenite bread that traditionally is being baked overnight next to jachnoon (overnight rolls) and hard boiled eggs, to be served on Shabbat morning.

I highly recommend using SAF Instant yeast (it’s available online and can keep for months in the fridge.)
When using instant yeast, you should skip the process of proofing the yeast.
If you’re using active dry yeast, start the recipe by proofing the yeast and continue as usual.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. and 2 oz. all purpose flour (3⅔ cups)
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon SAF instant yeast (or active dry yeast, see note above)
¼ cup light brown sugar
1½ cups warm water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup (4 oz.) butter, homemade clarified butter (recipe below), ghee or samneh, all should be at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon honey.
For homemade clarified butter (samneh)
1¼ cups (10 oz., 2 ½ sticks) butter
For the spicy tomato sauce
3 ripe tomatoes
½ – 1 Serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS

If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 2.
If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, put flour, dry yeast and sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitter with dough hook and mix for one minute. Add warm water and mix slowly for 2 minutes. Add salt, and mix for 5 minutes longer on medium-low speed. Dust a large clean bowl with flour and transfer dough to it.
Cover with towel and keep in a warm spot in the kitchen (above the stove) for 45-60 minutes, until dough doubles in volume. Gently push down dough to its original volume.
Skip to instruction number 3.
If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put ½ cup warm water, the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.
Put flour, yeast mixture, and the rest of the sugar and water and the salt in bowl of stand mixer fitter with dough hook and mix for 8 minutes on medium-low speed. Dust a large clean bowl with flour and transfer dough to it.
Cover with towel and keep in a warm spot in the kitchen (above the stove) for 45-60 minutes, until dough doubles in volume. Gently push down dough to its original volume.
Brush a 9 inch springform pan with a little of the butter or samneh. Using your hands, lightly grease working surface and rolling pin with butter or samneh.
With greasy hands, divide dough into 2. Roll first half to a paper-thin rectangle, about 10 inch x 20 inch in size. Use your hands to spread half the butter/samneh all over, and roll up the dough into a 20 inch long cylinder. Cut cylinder into 5 sections and arrange them in the pan, keeping about 1 inch gap between them. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Cover pan with towel and let rise again for about 45 minutes, until dough doubles in size.
Turn oven to 400 F degrees.
Mix milk and honey in a small cup (you can heat in the microwave for a few seconds) and very gently brush the top of the kubaneh.
Bake kubaneh for 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 325 and continue baking for 30 minutes longer, until top is brown and crispy. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes and serve with a spicy tomato dip (recipe below) on the side.
To make the clarified butter (optional), put butter in a small pot over medium heat and cook until melted completely. The butter will start separating and white thick foam will form on top. Use a large spoon to skim foam and discard it. Continue cooking butter for about 8 minutes longer, butter should bubble, but not too aggressively, until golden-brown. Remove any remaining foam, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a container through folded cheesecloth or a very fine strainer. Cover and let cool in fridge for an hour. This can be done in advance (samneh can be stored in fridge for months).
To make the spicy tomato sauce, halve tomatoes and grate on coarse hole grater into a bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, cover and let sit at room temperature until serving. The sauce doesn’t keep well in the fridge (true for most fresh tomato dishes).