Tahinli çörek (Turkish sesame pastries)

I read somewhere that mahlab is good for only something like 6 months. I've had mine for quite some time, but I keep it in the freezer, hoping that will extend its viability. It had a bitter flavor, but one might expect that since it's made from the pit of a type of cherry. I wish I'd tasted it when it was fresh. I wasn't sure it was a pleasant flavor.

These are pretty rich, so I cut the recipe in half and made them the smaller size (3 instead of 2.) I have to admit that one and a half of the pastries was just about the right amount for breakfast to satisfy the taste buds and the tummy, but for health's sake one should probably stick with a single, smaller bun.

Since these are unique, I stuck pretty closely to the original recipe, mostly just adjusting the salt quantity.  Here's what I used to make half the original quantity:

For the dough:
1/2 heaping teaspoon dry yeast
1/6 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon oil
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1 egg, scrambled and divided
1 -1¼ cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mahlep (mahlab)

For the filling:
5 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon melted, salted butter
1 teaspoon orange flower water
salt to taste (if necessary)
2 teaspoons finely chopped shelled pistachios per pastry (optional)

2 tablespoons orange flower water for coating pastry
raw sesame seeds
sugar (granulated or demarera)

Proof yeast with warm water and sugar. Set aside approximately 10 minutes, until well frothy.  In a mixing bowl, add the milk, butter, oil, and sugar and mix well. While still warm (not hot!), add  half the scrambled egg and the yeast mixture and mix well with a whisk. Sift together 1 cup of flour, salt, and mahlep. Add this to the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until you get a slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough, adding the extra ¼ cup flour if needed. Once you have a nice dough, place it back in a greased bowl, cover, and place in a warm area for approximately 2 hours (until doubled).

Punch down the dough and knead for a minute; divide into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Let the balls rest about 25 to 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, mix together the tahini, sugar, melted butter, and orange flower water.  Mix well, then check to see if you want to add salt. The mixture will be granular. (And for me there seemed to be some sort of chemical reaction which made it become fairly thick and almost gummy.  Weird.)

Once proofed, roll each ball into a disk about 1/8-inch thick. (If making 2, it should measure about 11 or 12 inches; 3 should measure at least 7 inches.  They should be as thin as you can get them while still being manageable.) Divide the tahini mixture evenly for each pastry, approximately 3 tablespoons each. Spread this out very thinly almost to the edges. If you like, sprinkle 2 - 3 tsp of finely chopped pistachios on each one. Roll each round into a tight cigar shape; pinch each end closed. Slowly and gently roll each pastry back and forth with your hands to extend it, starting at the middle. Don't worry if small tears occur. The final strand will be almost as long as from the tip of your fingers to your elbow. Twist the long strand of dough gently over and over again (but don't over twist or you will snap it.) Coil the twisted pastry loosely from the center working outwards and tuck the end underneath. Place the coils on prepared baking sheets (either lightly greased or lined with parchment) several inches apart, leaving room for final rolling.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cover pastries with a tea towel and let proof for 30 minutes. (While proofing, the centers might pop up -- that will be fixed with the rolling. There might also be small amounts of oil weeping from the pastry.)

When the rolls are nearly done, beat the remaining egg half in a small dish; arrange in separate bowls the orange flower water, sesame seeds, and some sugar. Flatten each pastry with a rolling pin gently to half its size. Prick it all over with a fork to arrest its rising in the oven. Using a pastry brush, wash the pastries with orange flower water all over, then the egg wash. Sprinkle each pastry generously with sesame seeds and finally with sugar. (It will make a nice crust when baked). Bake pastries for 30 minutes (for the large) or about 20-25 minutes (for the small), or until golden brown.  Watch for over browning the bottoms.

 

These were more time-consuming than I had anticipated, perhaps mostly because I had to keep checking the directions.  (I've simplified the process here.)  I tried to call up the web page, but it kept diverting to another screen (although I could call it up on the iPhone.  Apparently this redirect is due to a faulty widget, but the original blogger is no longer maintaining his blog, so this won't be remedied.) It helped to check the photographs in the original blog post.

They were probably plenty done at 25 minutes (perhaps could have done less), but since it mentions a brown crust I left them a little longer, but then they were over done. (The bottoms were dark.) And the twists didn’t show up on the outside.

Conclusion:   These were tasty, with an unusual flavor (perhaps the mahlab), fairly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside.  The filling wasn't very noticeable, but I'm sure lent moistness and flavor, though subtle.  They were good despite being a little tough (from extra baking); they just don’t look terribly appetizing.  (They'd look better if they weren't over baked.)  The orange flower water wasn’t very discernible. Perhaps could have done with a tiny bit more salt, but were okay as they were. (I didn’t add any additional salt to the filling.)  I probably would not make this recipe again, but I'd like to try the one at M bakes.

Recipe:  Tahinli via Is That My Buréka?