Sweet Tahini Rolls

Makes 10 rolls

Dough

1 ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast

1 tsp caster sugar

110ml whole milk, lukewarm

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

75g unsalted butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

Olive oil, for greasing

Salt

Filling

100g caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

120g tahini

Topping

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1. First make the dough. Put the yeast, sugar and milk into a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes, until it starts to get frothy.

2. Meanwhile, put the flour and half a teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a free-standing mixer, with the dough hook in place. Mix on a low speed, then slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Add the melted butter and continue to mix for about a minute.

3. Add the egg, then increase the speed to medium and leave for 5 minutes, for the dough to get well kneaded. Using your hands, scrape the dough into a ball: it will be slightly sticky and elastic. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it a couple of times so that the dough gets well-greased. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.

4. Put the sugar and cinnamon for the filling into a small bowl. Mix well to combine, then set aside.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 35 x 50cm. Drizzle the tahini over the dough, then, using the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread it out evenly, leaving 1cm clear of tahini at both the shorter ends. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the tahini and leave for 10 minutes, until the sugar looks all wet.

6. Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough inwards to form a long, thin sausage. Trim away about 2cm from each end, then slice the dough into 10 equal pieces: they should each be just over 4½cm long. Sit each piece upright, so that its cut side is facing upwards, then, using your hands, gently flatten out to form an 8cm-wide circle. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.

8. Transfer each roll of dough to a large parchment-lined baking tray, spaced 2–3cm apart. Brush the top and sides of each with the egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 18 minutes, or until cooked through and golden.

Remove from the oven and set aside for about 20 minutes – you don’t want them to be piping hot – then serve.

Keeping notes: These rolls are best eaten fresh on the day of baking but are also fine for several days once baked, warmed through in the oven. They also freeze well after they’ve been baked and left to cool. You can pop them into the oven straight from the freezer, until they’re warmed through.

FALASTIN is a love letter to Palestine, the land and its people; an evocative collection of over 110 unforgettable recipes and stories from the co-authors of Jerusalem, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Ottolenghi SIMPLE. 
Recipe extracts: FALASTIN, RRP$60 from selected bookstores nationwide.