Tahinov Hats (Armenian Tahini Bread)
A recipe for Tahinov Hats (Armenian Tahini Bread)! This thin, crisp bread is filled with layers of tahini and sugar, then baked until golden.
Servings 8 Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) lukewarm water 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) olive oil plus more for brushing
Filling:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) tahini sesame paste, you may not need it all
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon optional
- sesame seeds for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
To make the dough:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water. Stir briefly to combine, then allow to sit at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.
- Mix in the frothy yeast water mixture and the olive oil to bring together a dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until doubled, 1-2 hours.
To assemble:
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
- Place the sugar in a small bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, if using.
- Very lightly grease a large work surface with olive oil or lightly flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Cover one half with a towel.
- Roll the other half on the work surface into a large, thin circle.
- Cover the circle with a thin layer of tahini, leaving about 1/2-1 inch (1.25-2.5 centimeters) around the edge clear.
- Sprinkle with up to 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar, to desired sweetness.
- Make a cut in the center of the dough and tear lightly to create a hole. Gently, but tightly, roll and stretch the dough from the center hole towards the outside edges. (Optionally, you could simply roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle, spread with the tahini, add sugar, and roll long side to long side. If doing this, I like to slightly roll in the short sides once to form a barrier to keep the filling from seeping out).
- Cut through the circle to make a rope. Pinch the ends to seal and prevent the tahini from leaking out.
- Gently roll and stretch the dough to make the rope even and no more than 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide, then cut the rope into 4-6 equal pieces.
- Pinch each of the ends to seal in the filling.
- Place one of the pieces on the work surface, covering the others with a towel.
- Gently roll the piece into a long, thin rope. Coil the rope, end to end, into a snail shape, tucking the outer end under the pastry to keep it from unraveling.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the coil into a thin circle about 4-6 inches (10-15 centimeters) wide, as thin as possible and up to 1/3 inch (8 millimeters) thick (depending on desired thickness of the bread).
- Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a towel.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces, then the remaining dough half, placing the shaped bread at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart on the baking sheets. Allow to rest at room temperature until lightly puffed, about 20 minutes.
To bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
- Brush the top of each bread lightly with olive oil. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 13-16 minutes.