Kunafeh – Shredded fillo dough with cheese and oh, so much butter
Kunafeh – Shredded fillo dough with cheese and oh, so much butter
Servings
12-20Servings
Servings
12-20Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a large baking dish (around 9″x13″) with butter. You’ll need a dish with some depth, a cookie sheet will be too thin.
  2. Open up your fillo dough and divide the strands into two equal parts. If it feels weird, it’s probably because you’ve never done this before.
  3. Place one half of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish, pressing down firmly to pack it down. I would recommend using a small cutting board or coaster to flatten it.
  4. Spread the ricotta cheese on top of the dough with a spoon or spatula, spreading it in an even layer without getting too close to the edges. We’re going to seal it in, so leave at least a half inch around the edges.
  5. Place the remaining dough on top of the ricotta, again pressing down hard with a small cutting board or coaster to flatten and remove any air pockets.
  6. Cut the sticks of butter into about a Tablespoon or thinner slices and arrange them evenly on top of the dough.
  7. Bake it for 40 minutes until beautifully browned.
  8. Moving quickly, carefully remove the pan from the oven and flip the entire fillo-ricotta sandwich upside down. It will be extremely hot, so be careful! Once flipped, place it back in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the entire thing is golden brown and crisp.
  9. While it’s baking, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan while constantly stirring. When it starts to thicken, add the lemon juice and orange blossom or rose water to combine. Once it’s a slightly syrupy texture, remove it from the heat. It should still be pretty viscous and not too thick.
  10. When the baked fillo is completely golden brown, remove it from the oven and pour the syrup over the entire thing. Then admire your creation as the dough eats up that sweet, sweet syrup.
  11. Let it cool for five minutes, slice, and serve!