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Date Stuffed Bread (Ma'arouk)

PREP: 2 hours
COOK: 15 minutes
YIELD: 10 buns
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This brioche date-stuffed bread known as ma’arouk is the perfect post-iftar treat! The natural sugar from the dates helps elevate your blood sugar after a long day’s fast, while the bread helps coat the stomach and fill you up.

Recipe by @fufuskitchen

Ingredients

  • Dough
  • 1 cup whole milk, warm
  • 2 1/4 tsp fast rising yeast (1 packet)
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla flavor
  • 1 stick butter, unsalted, melted
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp Mahlab, crushed
  • Date Filling
  • 20 Medjool dates
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Topping
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup

Preparation

  1. First, make the brioche style dough. In a large bowl or KitchenAid mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Stir for a few seconds then add in the egg, vanilla, and butter. Whisk this all together.
  2. Add the flour, baking powder, and mahlab if you are using to the wet ingredients and let this knead for 6 minutes. The result should be a soft pliable dough.
  3. Shape into a large ball and add to an oiled bowl. Cover and let it double in size in a warm spot. This should take 1-2 hours. The longer time you have to allow it to proof the better the results.
  4. Once its proofed, portion the dough into 10 pieces and shape that into balls.
  5. Add to a baking sheet, cover, and let it proof for another 15 minutes in a warm spot.
  6. Meanwhile, make your date paste filling. Combine the dates, ghee, cardamom and cinnamon to a food processor and pulse until it just comes together to form a paste. Set aside.
  7. Take your dough ball and lay it on a flat clean surface. Using a roller, roll the dough out into a circle about 5-inch round and 1/4 inch thick. You do not want it to be thick but not see through either-just on the thinner side.
  8. Add a tbsp or two of date paste shaped like a log running across the circle. See photos for how to shape the maarouk.
  9. Roll the dough over the filling until you end up with a log. Connect both ends into a circle. Using a scissor, make cuts just deep enough for the date filling to peak through all around the pastry.
  10. Brush these with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
  11. Bake in a 410 F oven for 15-20 minutes until baked throughout and lightly browned.
  12. Brush simple syrup on top as a glaze if you would like. Enjoy these warm or room temperature.

*While Medjool dates are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index thanks to a balanced amount of soluble fiber. The complex carbohydrates found in Medjool dates are digested at a slower rate, making them a source of dietary fiber and releasing energy to the body over a longer period of time.

A Recipe from:

Fufu

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