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Krachel (aniseed and sesame brioche buns)
Krachel: soft sweet buns scented with aniseed, sesame and orange-flower water
Moroccan bakeries pile their windows with krachel, round, glossy buns of enriched dough perfumed with aniseed, toasted sesame and orange-flower water, and families bake them at home for breakfast, for guests and for feast days. They are soft and pillowy, lightly sweet, with a distinctive liquorice-like scent from the anise and a nutty crunch of sesame on top. Eat them warm with butter and jam, dipped into milky coffee, or with mint tea in the afternoon. The dough needs two rises, about 1 1/2 hours in all. Don't rush the rise: under-proved krachel bake dense and tight instead of soft and fluffy. Chef's tip: lightly toast the aniseed and sesame in a dry pan before adding them to the dough; it doubles their fragrance.
- Total time
- 138 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp aniseedlightly toasted
- 2 tbsp sesame seedslightly toasted, divided
- ¾ cup lukewarm milk
- 1 eggbeaten
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted and cooled
- 2 tbsp orange-flower water
For the glaze
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅞ oz sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp aniseed and 1 tbsp sesame seeds in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add ¾ cup lukewarm milk, 1 egg, 2 ⅛ oz butter and 2 tbsp orange-flower water and mix into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Step 3: Knead until smooth, silky and elastic, so that a small piece stretches thin without tearing. It will feel tacky at first; resist adding much flour.
10 minStep 4: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled.
60 minStep 5: Divide into 12 pieces of about 75 g, shape each into a tight ball and set them on lined baking trays, well apart. Flatten each one slightly with your palm.
Step 6: Cover loosely and leave until puffy and nearly doubled. Heat the oven to 350°F.
40 minStep 7: Brush gently with 1 egg yolk and sprinkle with the rest of 1 tbsp sesame seeds.
Step 8: Bake until deep golden and the bases sound hollow when tapped. Overbaking dries them, so take them out as soon as they are golden all over.
18 minStep 9: Cool on a rack under a clean tea towel so the crust stays soft. Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 39 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does krachel (aniseed and sesame brioche buns) take?
- About 138 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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