Knafeh bi Jibneh
كنافة بالجبنة·(kuh-nah-fuh bee jib-neh)
Subhiyya: Slow Saturday Mornings
There is a specific, intoxicating smell to a Lebanese Saturday morning—orange blossom water hitting hot, buttery semolina. It's a sensory memory etched permanently into the soul of anyone lucky enough to grow up around it. But tracking down unsalted Akkawi cheese and soaking it for twenty-four hours just isn't happening in an Ohio suburb. This is the real deal, adapted for the real world. Forget the shredded phyllo dough—that's for Baklawa. We build a true Farkeh crust using farina, and we hack the iconic, elastic cheese pull using standard mozzarellas bound by a brilliant, quick stovetop pudding. It delivers the flawless texture of the homeland, leaving your slow morning exactly as it should be: slow.
Before you start
Grate your own low-moisture mozzarella.
Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starches that ruin the melt; take the extra two minutes to grate it from the block.
Dry the fresh mozzarella aggressively.
Moisture is the enemy of a tight cheese layer. Tear it up and use paper towels to press out as much water as possible before mixing.
Ingredients
- granulated sugar1 1/2 cup
- water3/4 cup
- fresh lemon juice1 tsp
- Orange Blossom Water1 tsp
- Rose Water1 tsp
- fine semolina or farina1 1/2 cup
- ghee or unsalted butter1/2 cup
- whole milk1/4 cup
- granulated sugar2 tbsp
- Orange Blossom Water1 tbsp
- low-moisture part-skim mozzarella8 oz
- fresh mozzarella8 oz
- whole milk3/4 cup
- fine semolina or farina3 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- ghee or unsalted butter1 tbsp
- unsalted pistachios1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Simmer the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the orange blossom and rose waters, and let it cool completely in the refrigerator—hot pastry requires cold syrup to stay crisp.
- 02
Rub the melted ghee into the semolina and sugar until it resembles wet sand, then knead in the milk and orange blossom water to form a thick paste.
Spread this paste evenly, about a half-inch thick, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- 03
Bake the semolina dough at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes to dry it out without browning it.
This grandmother's trick prevents a soggy crust. Once cooled, pulse the dried block in a food processor to create the fine, uniform crumb known as Farkeh.
- 04
Whisk the milk, semolina, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until it suddenly thickens into a hot pudding.
This stovetop trick is the secret to a cohesive cheese pull, preventing the mozzarella from separating and becoming greasy.
- 05
Pour the hot pudding over the grated and torn mozzarellas in a large bowl, folding them together.
The residual heat will begin to soften the cheese into a thick, stretchy mass.
- 06
Firmly press the processed semolina crumbs into a greased 9-inch round pan, then spread the cheese mixture evenly on top.
Compress the crumbs hard, pushing them about a quarter-inch up the sides to form a lip. Leave a small border around the cheese so it has room to spread as it melts.
- 07
Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of the crust are deep golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
Let it rest for exactly 5 minutes out of the oven so the cheese settles and the crust releases from the pan.
- 08
Invert the pan confidently onto a serving platter, immediately douse the hot crust with the chilled syrup, and garnish with pistachios.
You should hear a satisfying sizzle. Serve immediately while the cheese is gloriously molten and stretchy.
Notes
The temperature rule of Levantine syrup.
Hot pastry plus cold syrup equals crispy. Hot pastry plus hot syrup equals mush. Make your syrup first so it has plenty of time to chill.
Cast-iron alternative.
If you want to mimic the traditional massive copper trays of a Lebanese sweet shop, bake this in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet instead of a cake pan.
From Cook Lebanese in America.