Description
Kadayif / Knafeh – Walnut Filled Crispy Pastry with Syrup
This Kadayif / Knafeh – Walnut Filled Crispy Pastry with Syrup is so uniquely perfect in so many ways! This dessert is made with shredded dough filled with sweet sugar, nuts, and layers of perfection! It is known for its distinctive taste and aroma of rose🌹and orange 🍊 water blossoms. Usually, Kadayif is filled with walnuts or pistachios, sugar, and baked in the oven until it reaches its golden look. It is then soaked in a sweetened syrup which makes it super moist and soft and yet crispy, too! This Middle Eastern dessert is called Kadayif (Kataifi-Kadaif) also known as Knafeh. You can find this dessert in a few different countries and I have to say, I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! Especially, with the one I was brought up with!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough
- 1 package 16oz (1lb) Kataifi Dough (Knafeh)
- 1 1/2 lbs of Melted Butter
Filling Mixture
- 2 1/2 cups chopped Walnuts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cinnamon
Syrup
- 3 cups Water
- 3 cups Sugar
- 3 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 6 tablespoons Rose Water
- 2 tablespoons Orange Blossom Water
Instructions
- Chop the Kadayif dough into small 1-inch pieces. Place Kadayif in a bowl, pour clarified butter over Kadayif and mix and massage butter into your dough.
- Combine the filling mixture together in a separate bowl.
- Coat the baking dish evenly with melted butter. Start with your first layer. Spread your dough in a baking dish. I used an 8″ x 13.5″ glass baking dish (see note below). Firmly, press down the dough into the baking dish. I used another smaller baking dish for a flat surface. Add your second layer by adding the walnut mixture and proceed as step one by placing a flat surface and applying a firm press to flatten walnuts out. Add your third layer of dough on top and again, apply pressure firmly with a flat surface and push down to flatten the dough. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Place your dish on the center shelf of the oven. Make sure to turn an alternate dish while baking every 10 minutes, this helps it bake evenly.
- In a small saucepan add water and sugar on a medium-high fire. Stir vigorously until the sugar has dissolved. Once your sugar has dissolved bring fire back to medium-low and pour in the rest of your ingredients. Allow this to simmer for 5-10 minutes on low fire. Remove from fire and allow this to cool off to warm to room temperature.
- Syrup Instructions – Once Kadayif has baked, remove it from the oven and immediately pour syrup over the baked Kadayif.
- Cut Kadayif – Cut your Kadayif from the center down and across. Depending on the size you like your serving pieces to be. I cut them about 2″x3″. This serves about 10 pieces in total.
- Nut Crumble – Decorate your Kadayif with crushed walnuts / Pastacios or both, whichever you decide this pastry is so tasty anything will go. You can serve this either warm or cold.
Notes
- When Massaging Dough – try combining butter and coat Kadayif dough completely with the palms of your hands.
- The amount of syrup you’ll need to pour over your Kadayif all depends on how sweet, moist, crunchy, or dry you would like your pastry to be. So, I only poured half of the syrup over the entire tray and kept the other half to pour over each piece. But to be honest, It’s up to you how much syrup you’d like on your serving because the less syrup you pour over your pastry the crunchier and dryer it will be. Usually, this recipe is served with a lot of syrup or serves with syrup on the side.
(This recipe contains Nuts.)
*** Our Nutrition information is estimated, so please make sure to check your own calculation to fit your diet.
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: Pastry, Kataifi, Kadaif, Kanfeh, Kunafa, Dessert, Shredded Dough, Middle Eastern Dessert