Konafa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A spectacular dessert of golden, buttery shredded pastry encasing a luscious cream filling, soaked in fragrant sugar syrup. This showstopping Egyptian sweet is the crown jewel of Ramadan celebrations.

Ingredients

500g konafa pastry dough, shredded
200g unsalted butter, melted
2 cups whole milk
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rose water
1.5 cups sugar for syrup
1 cup water for syrup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
Crushed pistachios for garnish
1 tbsp orange blossom water

Instructions

1 Separate and loosen the shredded konafa dough by hand. Pour the melted butter over it and toss thoroughly until every strand is evenly coated and glistening.
2 Make the cream filling by heating milk with cornstarch, stirring constantly until very thick. Remove from heat and stir in rose water and heavy cream until smooth.
3 Press half the buttered konafa dough into a round baking pan, creating an even base layer. Spread the cooled cream filling evenly over the top of the dough.
4 Cover the cream with the remaining konafa dough, pressing gently to create a compact top layer. The filling should be completely sealed between two pastry layers.
5 Bake at 190C for thirty-five minutes until the top is a stunning deep golden color and the edges are crispy and pulling away from the pan slightly.
6 Make syrup by boiling sugar, water, and lemon juice for eight minutes. Add orange blossom water. Pour cooled syrup over the hot konafa and top with pistachios.

Did You Know?

During Ramadan, Egyptian konafa shops create enormous trays over two meters wide, and families queue for hours to secure their portion before they sell out.