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Barazeq are delicately thin crispy cookies originated in Damascus, Syria. They are always made in small circular shapes with sesame seeds covering one side and pistachio slices visible on the other.

Barazeq are made with few ingredients which are flour, ghee, sugar, pistachios and sesame seeds for covering. If you find recipes that contain eggs, spices, milk powder, honey, I assure you that they are not original recipes and can’t be called Barazeq. I’m sharing a recipe that I learnt from a Damascene Pastry Chef and it is hundred percent authentic.

Let’s make Barazeq:

1. Ingredients for Barazeq are: flour, ghee, sugar, sugar syrup, pistachio slices, and toasted sesame seeds.

Sugar Syrup

2, 3, 4, 5 . Put 215 g (1 cup) sugar in a saucepan.

6, 7, 8. Pour 105 g (1/2 cup) water over sugar.

9, 10. Dissolve sugar in water over high heat, and bring it to boil.

11, 12, 13. Add pinch of lemon salt (citric acid) or less than 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice to sugar syrup, and boil for 5 minutes.

14, 15, 16, 17. Allow to slightly cool, then pour into a jug and set aside.

Dough

18, 19. Put 125 g all purpose flour in a bowl.

20 to 27. Add 60 g ghee, knead until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

28, 29. Put 50 g sugar in a bowl.

30, 31. Add 25 g water to sugar.

32, 33. Add 15 g sugar syrup.

34, 35. Stir with your hand until sugar dissolves and set aside.

36, 37. After 30 minutes, knead the dough until it becomes soft.

38, 39. Add the prepared mixture of sugar, water, and sugar syrup.

40 to 45. Stir with your hand until the dough absorbs the liquids, do not over knead. The dough is soft and creamy.

46 to 51. Flour working surface, put the dough and knead, you will notice that the dough will become together and easy to handle.

52. Form the dough into a log.

53, 54. Divide the dough into small balls. I made each ball equals to 2 g. The size of Barazeq is optional, you can make it small (2 g) or large (no more than 6 g).

To Cover

54. Put the dough balls in a plate, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

55, 56. Put 50 g pistachio slices in a plate and set aside.

57, 58. Put aluminum pan over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and stir continuously until turn into golden in color.

59,60. Put 100 g toasted sesame seeds in a bowl.

61, 62, 63. Add 6 g sugar to toasted sesame seeds and mix with your hand.

64, 65, 66. Add 60 g sugar syrup to toasted sesame seeds and mix with your hand, keep mixing until you smell the fragrant of the toasted sesame seeds, this is important step.

67, 68. To test the stickiness of the sesame seeds, To test the stickiness of the of the sesame seeds, Imagine your fingers are the cookie and dip your hand and see that the sesame seeds should cover your fingers.

70. Put prepared sesames seeds in a plate and set aside.

Making Barazeq

71. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

72. Bring a bowl filled with flour and set aside.

73. Put the ingredients next to each following this sequence: dough balls, pistachio slices, toasted sesame seeds, and keep the bowl of flour next to them.

74 to 79. Take one ball of the dough and put into the pistachio slices, press slightly to stick the pistachio. Now, one side is covered with pistachio and the other side will be covered with sesame seeds.

80, 81. Put the other side of the ball into the sesame seeds.

82, 83, 84, 85. Flour your hand and slightly press the ball.

86, 87, 88, 89. Quickly remove and put again in sesame seeds, press to flatten the ball to 1.3 inch (3.5 cm) diameter. This is the diameter for a ball equals to 2 g.

90, 91, 92, 93. The cookie should be very thin, about 0.1 inch (3 mm) thick.

94, 95, 96, 97. Put the cookies in the prepared baking sheet.

98, 99, 100, 101. Heat the oven at 320°F (160 °C) (I’ve done this step of heating oven 15 minutes before placing the baking pan in oven to bake). Place the baking pan in the oven (rack position the second from bottom), and bake for 10 minutes or until the bottom and top become golden in color. Remove from the oven and keep on baking sheet to completely cool

102, 103. The pictures show the color of barazeq on the side of the pistachio slices and the side of sesame seeds.

104, 105. When cooled, remove from baking sheet. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

106. Barazeq can be consumed immediately after baking, but it is recommended to wait 7 days because the flavor of Barazeq will be enhanced and developed day by day.

Barazeq

From: Chef Feras / Servings: 110 pieces
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

Sugar Syrup 215 g (1 cups) sugar 105 g (1/2 cups) water Pinch of lemon salt “citric acid” or less than 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice Dough 125 g all purpose flour 60 g ghee 50 g sugar 25 g water 15 g sugar syrup To Cover 50 g pistachio slices 100 g toasted sesame seeds 6 g sugar, to mix with sesame seeds 60 g sugar syrup, to mix with sesame seeds

Ingredients for Barazeq are: flour, ghee, sugar, sugar syrup, pistachio slices, and toasted sesame seeds. Sugar Syrup Put 215 g (1 cup) sugar in a saucepan. Pour 105 g (1/2 cup) water over sugar. Dissolve sugar in water over high heat, and bring it to boil. Add pinch of lemon salt (citric acid) or less than 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice to sugar syrup, and boil for 5 minutes. Allow to slightly cool, then pour into a jug and set aside. Dough Put 125 g all purpose flour in a bowl. Add 60 g ghee, knead until combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Put 50 g sugar in a bowl. Add 25 g water to sugar. Add 15 g sugar syrup. Stir with your hand until sugar dissolves and set aside. After 30 minutes, knead the dough until it becomes soft. Add the prepared mixture of sugar, water, and sugar syrup. Stir with your hand until the dough absorbs the liquids, do not over knead. The dough is soft and creamy. Flour working surface, put the dough and knead, you will notice that the dough will become together and easy to handle. Form the dough into a log. Divide the dough into small balls. I made each ball equals to 2 g. The size of Barazeq is optional, you can make it small (2 g) or large (no more than 4 g). Put the dough balls in a plate, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. To Cover Put 50 g pistachio slices in a plate and set aside. Put aluminum pan over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and stir continuously until turn into golden in color. Put 100 g toasted sesame seeds in a bowl. Add 6 g sugar to toasted sesame seeds and mix with your hand. Add 60 g sugar syrup to toasted sesame seeds and mix with your hand, keep mixing until you smell the fragrant of the toasted sesame seeds, this is important step. To test the stickiness of the of the sesame seeds, Imagine your fingers are the cookie and dip your hand and see that the sesame seeds should cover your fingers. Put prepared sesames seeds in a plate and set aside. Making Barazeq Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring a bowl filled with flour and set aside. Put the ingredients next to each following this sequence: dough balls, pistachio slices, toasted sesame seeds, and keep the bowl of flour next to them. Take one ball of the dough and put into the pistachio slice, press slightly to stick the pistachio. Now, one side is covered with pistachio and the other side will be covered with sesame seeds. Put the other side of the ball into the sesame seeds. Flour your hand and slightly press the ball. Quickly remove and put again in sesame seeds, press to flatten the ball to 1.3 inch (3.5 cm) diameter. This is the diameter for a ball equals to 2 g. The cookie should be very thin, about 0.1 inch (3 mm) thick. Put the cookies in the prepared baking sheet. Heat the oven at 320°F (160 °C) (I’ve done this step of heating oven 15 minutes before placing the baking pan in oven to bake). Place the baking pan in the oven (rack position the second from bottom), and bake for 10 minutes or until the bottom and top become golden in color. Remove from the oven and keep on baking sheet to completely cool. When cooled, remove from baking sheet. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Barazeq can be consumed immediately after baking, but it is recommended to wait 7 days because the flavor of Barazeq will be enhanced and developed day by day.

Notes and Tips

My oven is gas oven and it has two functions:
The oven upper burner “broiler”.
The oven bottom burner “bake function”.
I can turn on both of them together, and I can turn off one of them and keep the other on.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 31st, 2019 at 6:29 PM and is filed under Syrian Baking and Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.