Sfouf
صفوف·(sfoof)
Asrouniyeh: Afternoon Hospitality & Sweets
Coat a 9x13 baking pan, pour the batter, and watch the pine nuts brown. It is mid-afternoon in an Ohio suburb, but the kitchen smells like a village in Mount Lebanon. This is Sfouf for Asrouniyeh—that late-afternoon hour built for unexpected guests and Arabic coffee. Made from flour and a tablespoon of turmeric, the cake’s magic lies entirely in the method: greasing the pan heavily with tahini for a fried crust, and possessing patience to let the batter rest before baking so the semolina can swell into a spongy masterpiece. Cut into rough squares, and put the kettle on.
Ingredients
- fine semolina flour2 cup
- all-purpose flour2 cup
- baking powder1 1/2 tbsp
- ground turmeric1 1/2 tbsp
- ground anise seed1 tsp
- salt1/2 tsp
- whole milk2 cup
- granulated sugar2 cup
- neutral oil1 cup
- orange blossom water1 tbsp
- tahini3 tbsp
- blanched almond halves1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Dissolve the sugar into the warm milk.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the granulated sugar into the warm milk until completely dissolved, then stir in the neutral oil and orange blossom water.
- 02
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the fine semolina, all-purpose flour, baking powder, turmeric, ground anise, and salt until the mixture is a uniform pale yellow.
- 03
Combine the wet and dry mixtures.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry, stirring gently with a whisk or wooden spoon just until all dry streaks disappear; the batter will seem loose, which is exactly right.
- 04
Walk away and let the batter rest.
Leave the bowl on the counter for 30 minutes to allow the dense semolina grains to drink up the liquid, preventing a gritty cake and thickening the batter perfectly.
- 05
Coat the baking pan generously with tahini.
While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 350°F and use your fingers or a pastry brush to smear the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with a thick layer of tahini.
- 06
Pour, smooth, and tap the batter.
Give the rested batter one final stir, pour it into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and firmly tap the pan against the counter a few times to release any trapped air bubbles.
- 07
Garnish with the soaked almonds.
Gently arrange the drained almonds on the surface of the batter in a neat grid pattern, placing one nut wherever the center of each future cut piece will be.
- 08
Bake until the crust is deeply browned.
Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 09
Cool completely before slicing.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan to retain its moisture, then use a sharp knife to cut it into traditional parallel rows and cross-cut into diamonds or squares.
Notes
The semolina substitute.
If you cannot find fine semolina flour (Tahine Farkha) at your local grocery store, standard American farina—commonly sold as Cream of Wheat in the hot cereal aisle—is the exact same wheat endosperm and provides an identical textural bite. Do not use coarse pasta semolina.
Elevating the fat.
For an even richer, bakery-style aroma, you can swap half of the neutral oil for melted unsalted butter or traditional ghee.
Vegan adaptation.
Sfouf is easily made entirely plant-based (or Siyami, for Lebanese fasting periods) by replacing the warm whole milk with warm water infused with an extra tablespoon of anise seeds.
From Cook Lebanese in America.