Homemade Jachnun
Experience the magic of Yemeni-Jewish cuisine with buttery, flaky, slow-baked Jachnun that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
- •4 cups all-purpose flour (500g)
- •2 tablespoons sugar
- •1.5 teaspoons salt
- •1.5 cups lukewarm water (360ml)
- •1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened (225g)
- •0.5 cup vegetable oil for stretching (120ml)
- •4 whole raw eggs in their shells
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Gradually add the lukewarm water and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until you get a smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky dough.
- 2
Divide the dough into 8 equal balls, coat them generously with vegetable oil, place them on a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours to relax the gluten.
- 3
Grease a wide work surface with plenty of oil. Take one dough ball and use your oiled hands to press and stretch it as thin as possible without tearing, almost translucent like phyllo dough.
- 4
Spread about 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened butter evenly over the stretched dough sheet.
- 5
Fold the left side toward the middle, then the right side over it to form a long rectangle. Fold the bottom up and the top down to create a small, tightly folded rectangular packet.
- 6
Repeat the stretching, buttering, and folding process for the remaining dough balls.
- 7
Preheat your oven to 210°F (100°C). Note that traditional jachnun bakes overnight for 10 to 12 hours.
- 8
Line the bottom and sides of a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (safe for oven use) with parchment paper or leftover scraps of dough to prevent burning.
- 9
Arrange the folded jachnun rolls tightly side by side in the pot. Nestling the raw whole eggs (washed and in their shells) among the rolls.
- 10
Cover the pot tightly with a lid or a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to trap the steam.
- 11
Bake overnight (or for 10 to 12 hours) until the jachnun turns a deep, rich amber-brown color and becomes wonderfully soft and flaky.
- 12
Serve warm alongside grated fresh tomato salsa (skhug or grated tomato with salt and green chili) and the slow-cooked brown eggs.
💡 Chef tips
- For a traditional Shabbat morning meal, assemble the jachnun on Friday afternoon and leave it in a 200°F (95°C) oven or warming drawer overnight.
- Make it pareve by substituting the butter with margarine or high-quality coconut oil, though butter yields the most authentic flavor.
- Ensure the dough is extremely well-rested; if it springs back while stretching, let it rest for another 15 minutes.
✅ How it should turn out
The finished jachnun should be deep amber-brown, incredibly flaky with delicate buttery layers that peel apart easily, and served with rich brown slow-baked eggs and spicy grated tomato.