Ka'ak asfar (Palestinian yellow easter bread)

Name: Palestinian yellow easter bread (ka'ak asfar) recipe
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1kg plain flour; 20.00 ml instant dried yeast; 40.00 ml ground aniseed; 40.00 ml sesame seeds; 20.00 ml ground mahlab (see notes); 20.00 ml ground turmeric; 20.00 ml nigella seeds; 20.00 ml salt flakes; Large pinch ground nutmeg; Large pinch ground cloves; 60ml vegetable oil; Olive oil, to coat and brush; Labneh, to serve; Hard-boiled eggs, to serve

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Ka'ak asfar (Palestinian yellow easter bread) — Haarala Hamilton

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Jan 19, 2025

"A Palestinian Christian tradition, we make this bread on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Some claim it’s made this way to resemble the large stone covering Christ’s tomb. In the refugee camp where I was raised, everyone would be making this bread on that day. The narrow hillside streets were filled with people who had prepared their dough for proving and either started heating their ovens at home or booked an appointment at the nearby bakery to bake this blessing of the Easter holiday. Wherever you walked in the camp, you would be welcomed by the smell of freshly baked bread coated in olive oil and the aromas of the spices used in the dough: nutty mahlab and distinct, warming turmeric.

"My family’s tradition was to bake the bread on Saturday and, after the Easter dawn mass at the local church, have it for breakfast at my grandma’s house. We would do this right up until she passed away. We still maintain an Easter meal of ka’ak asfar and Easter eggs with labneh and olives each year with my parents, sisters and invited guests." - Hisham Assaad

This recipe is an edited extract from Taboon: Sweet & Savoury Delights from the Lebanese Bakery by Hisham Assaad, published by Smith Street Books, AUD$55.00, available now.

1kg plain flour
1 tbs instant dried yeast
2 tbs ground aniseed
2 tbs sesame seeds
1 tbs ground mahlab (see notes)
1 tbs ground turmeric
1 tbs nigella seeds
1 tbs salt flakes
Large pinch ground nutmeg
Large pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
Olive oil, to coat and brush
Labneh, to serve
Hard-boiled eggs, to serve

Method

1.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add 400ml warm water and the vegetable oil and knead in the bowl for 4-5 minutes, until you have a firm dough, adding more water as needed to create a smooth, soft dough. Coat the dough generously with olive oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size (around 45 minutes-1 hour; time will depend on the ambient temperature in your kitchen).
2.

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
3.

Take a tennis ball-sized handful of dough and form it into a small ball, coat with more olive oil and set aside. Repeat with the whole batch until you have 10-12 balls. Roll the balls out into 18cm discs, or directly press them over a ka’ak mould (see notes; if you don’t have a mould, you can press dough against the bottom of a clean colander to give the bread a pattern and keep it flat).
4.

Place the discs of dough on the lined baking tray and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, until the tops and bottoms are lightly browned. Remove and brush generously with olive oil.
5.

Serve the bread warm with labneh and boiled eggs.

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Recipe Notes

Ka’ak asfar can be stored in the freezer for 6 months. Defrost thoroughly and heat well before serving.

Mahlab is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of the St Lucie cherry. It’s available from Middle Eastern grocers and spice specialists. Ka’ak moulds are available from specialty kitchen equipment stores and Middle Eastern grocers.