Tissue-thin layers of dough brushed with ghee, folded into a square, and pan-fried until golden and flaky. Drizzled with honey, sabayah is a Yemeni breakfast treasure with a shatteringly crisp texture.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
100g ghee, melted
3 tbsp honey for drizzling
Nigella seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
1Mix flour, salt, sugar, and water to form a smooth dough. Knead for 5 minutes and rest covered for 20 minutes.
2Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll each ball as thin as possible on an oiled surface, stretching gently until almost translucent.
3Brush the thin sheet generously with melted ghee. Fold into thirds like a letter, brush with more ghee, then fold into thirds again to create layers.
4Heat a flat skillet over medium heat. Cook the folded bread for 3-4 minutes on each side, pressing gently, until golden and crispy with visible layers.
5Remove from heat and immediately drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with nigella seeds.
6Cut or tear into portions and serve hot while the layers are still crispy and flaky.
Did You Know?
The secret to perfect sabayah is stretching the dough so thin you can read a newspaper through it — this creates the maximum number of flaky layers.