Shared by Dana Schneider
Shared by Dana Schneider
Jachnun (Yemenite Jewish Bread) with Slow-Cooked Eggs
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 1½ hours, plus overnight cooking
Jachnun (Yemenite Jewish Bread) with Slow-Cooked Eggs
Yield: 8-10 servingsTime: 1½ hours, plus overnight cookingFamily Journey
Taizz and Sanaa, Yemen Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, IsraelNew York City
Ramat Gan, IsraelChicagoNayack, NY
Miami
For filmmaker Dana Schneider, visiting her family in Ramat Gan always included a Shabbat morning ritual of jachnun, a Yemenite bread that cooks overnight like cholent or hamin. It’s the overnight cooking and lots of butter layered into the dough that results in the caramelized pastry with crunchy edges and a chewy interior. Jachnun is customarily served with brown eggs, a herby Yemenite hot sauce called schug, and grated tomato, and Dana’s mom Amalia swears it tastes better when eaten with your hands. Dana’s grandmother, Malka, also served it with fried fish, which her husband Zion loved.
Dana learned how to apply the right pressure while shaping the dough by the clinking sounds her grandmother’s bracelets made. Since Malka’s passing last year, Dana has carried on the tradition, making jachnun while wearing those same bracelets.
The dough’s resting time is vital, so the gluten can relax and the dough will be soft and easy to work with. After shaping it in balls, let it rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge, but overnight is even better. Jachnun is traditionally baked in a tall aluminum pot, though any oven-safe, medium sized pot with a lid will work. Place it in the oven alongside a pot of eggs for slow cooking.
If you want to make your jachnun in advance, wrap each log in plastic wrap and freeze before baking. When ready to bake, remove the plastic, arrange them in the pot, and let them defrost in the refrigerator for 5-6 or hours before baking.
Ingredients
For the Jachnun:
- 8 cups (1040 g) all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons (55 g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) kosher salt
- 2½–3 cups (600-720 ml) water, plus more as needed
- ½ cup (100 ml) neutral oil
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2–3 slices of dry bread (any kind)
For the slow-cooked eggs:
- 12 eggs
- 1½ cups water
Preparation
Step 1
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Using the dough attachment, mix on low speed and slowly pour in the water. Start with 2½ cups and add more as needed. The dough should be soft, slightly sticky, and hold together.
Step 2
Mix for 10–15 minutes on low speed until the dough is formed. The dough should feel very soft and slightly sticky.
Step 3
Remove it from the bowl and spray or rub the dough with a thin layer of neutral oil, return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave on the counter to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4
Divide the dough into 10-15 equally sized pieces of dough and roll into smooth balls. Oil a 9x13-inch baking dish with ½ cup of neutral oil. Arrange the dough balls in the dish, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 200F°. Place a layer of dry bread at the bottom of the pot, then cover it with parchment paper. This will absorb the excess oil and help prevent the bottom from burning.
Step 6
To shape, dip your fingers in butter and gently stretch each dough ball into a thin translucent sheet, about 17 × 20 inches. Work slowly in circular motions to stretch the dough evenly across the surface. Don’t worry about small tears — the folding will hide them. Dab the sheet with butter, then fold it horizontally three or four times into a 4-inch strap. Turn the strap vertically and use your palms to press the sides down, stretching it to about 5 inches wide. Dab again with butter, roll into a tight log starting with the end closest to you, and place it in the jachnun tin. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Place the second layer of jachnun in the pot perpendicular to the first and continue layering the rest the same way.
Step 7
Cover with another piece of parchment paper. Pour 2–3 tablespoons of hot water on top, then cover the pot with the lid and place it in the oven.
Step 8
Cook the eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the eggs for 5 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a small oven-safe pot and cover them with 1½ cups of water. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the eggs, cover with a lid, and place the pot in the oven.
Step 9
Bake the jachnun and eggs until golden, 12–14 hours. Check every few hours and, if the jachnun seems dry, add 1–2 tablespoons of boiling water.
Step 10
Serve the jachnun and slow-cooked eggs warm with grated tomato and schug.
After baking, jachnun can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
