This week: Jachnun the 12 hour delight plus recipes, EYBD Previews, cookbook giveaways and more.

Recently my daughter-in-law forwarded a video on Jachnun to me and I, of course, had to learn more about this “not quite a bread, not quite a pastry” Yemeni dish. Caveat: I am not an expert on any subject, I am taking some time to research this dish and share what I learn.

Jachnun is prepared from dough which is rolled out thinly and traditionally brushed with Samneh, which is clarified butter spiced with ‘Hilbe‘, a Yemenite paste made of fenugreek powder, spiced with a kick of z’hug. Sometimes a little honey is added before the dough is rolled up before cooking.

Jachnun is traditionally cooked overnight on a ‘Shabbat hotplate‘ at a very low temperature, starting the cooking process usually on Friday morning to be taken out and eaten on Shabbat (Saturday) morning, as it is forbidden by Jewish custom to start cooking or to turn electrical implements on/off during Shabbat. The Jachnun pieces are baked/steamed inside of a lidded pot to trap moisture and prevent drying and burning. This cooking process turns the dough a dark amber color, lending a sweet, caramelized taste. It is traditionally served with tomato salsa, a fresh grated tomato dip, hard boiled eggs, and z’hug.

The dough used for Jachnun is the same as that used for malawach. In Breaking Breads, famed baker Uri Scheft has a wonderful recipe for Jachnun (online). I have also added a recipe from the blog Cafe Liz which sets out how to make Jachnun as well. Jamie Geller (link to her article in first photo above) states that it is easy to purchase frozen packaged loaves in most kosher or Middle Eastern markets.

Have you made Jachnun? If so, please leave any advice, tips or recipe links in the comments.

Other articles of interest:

The last week on the blog

Since our last roundup, Darcie has written these articles:

Darcie’s weekly food news antipasto is shared every Sunday and the tag #foodnews brings up these information-packed posts from the most current to the first one. Darcie can be followed on Instagram at darcie_bakes.

Roberta Muir has joined our EYB team with a weekly news post from Australia and New Zealand. Roberta’s articles are tagged AUNZnews which link/tag will bring up all her posts in date order. Roberta can be followed on Instagram at robertamuir.

Since our last roundup, I have posted the following:

And as always I continue to update our Kindle deals post so check the blog for new sales – the ICYMI post explains the Kindle post in detail. Our 2021 cookbook preview post is changing every day and this weekend. My Instagram is thecookbookjunkies.

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Jenny and the EYB Team


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Featured Online Recipe

Chicharrón chocolate chip cookies from Leite’s Culinaria by Lesley Téllez


EYBDigital Previews

Recently we uploaded our 979th EYBDigital Preview where a selection of full sample pages is available for the following cookbooks.

Learn more about EYBDigital Previews.

Note: To learn why you cannot add all EYBDigital Preview recipes to your Bookshelf, please read this Help page.


Cookbook Giveaways
Click on the Bold Blue Link Below to Enter

  • Enter our US giveaway to win a copy of A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home by Melissa Weller and Carolynn Carreño. Contest expires April 30th, 2021.
  • Enter our US giveaway to win one copy of Mastering Bread: The Art and Practice of Handmade Sourdough, Yeast Bread, and Pastry by Marc Vetri along with a Shun bread knife. Contest expires May 1st, 2021.
  • Enter our US/UK/AU/NZ giveaway to win one of three copies of Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes Through Central Asia, from Hinterland to Heartland by Caroline Eden. Contest expires May 2nd, 2021.
  • Enter our US giveaway to win one of three copies of Toblerone Cookbook: 40 Fabulous Baking Treats by Kyle Books. Contest expires May 8th, 2021.

*Publishers thank us for our continued patience while awaiting the arrival of prizes as warehouses are not operating at full capacity yet. The cookbook giveaway roundup shares all current giveaways.

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