🥯 Lebanese ka'ak
Lebanese ka'ak is a large, purse-shaped street bread with a handle, crusted all over with sesame seeds. The dough is lightly sweet, the crumb chewy and the crust toasty. Vendors sell it from carts and bicycles; the pocket is often opened and sprinkled with za'atar for a quick breakfast or snack on the go.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 7 g dried yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 ml warm water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 120 g sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sugar dissolved in 100 ml water, for dipping
- Za'atar to serve
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, add the water and oil and knead 10 minutes to a smooth dough; let rise 1 hour.
- Divide into 6, roll each into an oval, cut a hole near one end for the handle and shape into a purse.
- Dip each one in the sugar water, then press into the sesame seeds.
- Rest 15 minutes and bake at 220 °C for 12–15 minutes until deep golden.
- Serve warm, split open and sprinkled with za'atar.
How to make it lighter
- One ka'ak is a full portion of bread: share it or eat half with vegetables.
- Add tomato, cucumber and mint inside instead of extra oil.
- It is mostly carbohydrate, so make it part of a meal with vegetables and a protein that fits your plan.
History
Sesame-covered bread rings are sold by street vendors across the eastern Mediterranean, and the handbag-shaped ka'ak is especially associated with Beirut. Today it remains a classic Lebanese street breakfast, sold from carts in city streets.
Count it in one photo
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →