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Kaak warka
Kaak warka: Zaghouan's pale pastry rings filled with rose-scented almond paste
TunisianThe hill town of Zaghouan, south of Tunis, is famous for two things: its Roman water temple and kaak warka, delicate rings of very thin, crumbly pastry wrapped around almond paste perfumed with rose geranium or rose water. They are a celebration sweet, bought in boxes for weddings, circumcisions and Eid, and should stay white when baked, with a fine sugary crumb and a soft, fragrant centre. Making them takes patience: the dough is rolled thin, wrapped around ropes of almond paste and shaped into rings. Chef's tip: bake low and short; the moment the bases colour, they are done, as any browning on top ruins their famous pale look.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the almond paste
For the pastry
To finish
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz ground blanched almonds and 7 oz icing sugar, then add 3 tbsp rose geranium water or rose water a spoonful at a time and knead into a smooth, firm paste that does not stick. Cover and set aside.
Step 2: Rub 14 oz plain flour, 5 ½ oz unsalted butter, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 pinch salt together with your fingertips until the mixture feels like damp sand. Add 2 tbsp rose geranium water or rose water and enough ½ cup cold water to bring it together into a smooth, soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 3: Roll the almond paste into ropes the thickness of a pencil and cut them into 15 cm lengths.
Step 4: Divide the dough into four. On a very lightly floured surface roll one piece into a long strip about 2 mm thick and 6 cm wide. The common mistake is rolling it too thick; the warka (leaf) in the name means it should be thin enough to see the paste faintly through.
Step 5: Lay an almond rope along the strip, wrap the dough around it, press the seam closed and trim. Roll gently to seal, then bend into a ring and pinch the ends together. Repeat with the rest of the dough and paste.
25 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 325°F (fan 275°F). Prick each ring a few times with a needle or pastry tweezers to make the traditional pattern, and lay them on lined trays.
Step 7: Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the pastry is set and dry and only the bases are pale gold; the tops should stay white.
20 minStep 8: Cool on the trays, then dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar if you like. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kaak warka take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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