Lebanese Recipes – Lebanese Cooking Academy

Beirut Sesame Kaak

Kaʿak Bayrūt bil-Simsim

Beirut sesame kaak is a light street bread distinguished by its generous sesame crust, crisp exterior and open, slightly chewy crumb. This advanced lesson develops dough strength without producing a dense ring, then uses controlled proofing, high initial heat and a dry finishing bake for the characteristic shell.

Prep35 min

Cook20 min

DifficultyAdvanced

Yield8 large sesame kaak rings

Know what you are cooking

Closely associated with Beirut’s street-bread sellers, this kaak is commonly baked as an elongated ring or in the familiar asymmetrical, handle-like shape. It may be eaten plain or split and filled. Bakery and household formulas vary: some include a restrained amount of mahlab, while others rely only on wheat, sesame and fermentation. The bread is now prepared throughout Lebanon, but its Beirut identity remains central.

Serve for breakfast, as a street-style snack or alongside tea. Kaak may be eaten plain, sprinkled inside with zaatar, or split for fillings such as tomato, cucumber, olives, labneh or cheese; fillings alter the stated dietary and nutrition information.

By the end, you can:

Develop a moderately firm dough to full gluten strength without adding excess flour.
Control bulk and final proofing by observable dough expansion rather than time alone.
Shape an even ring or traditional asymmetrical Beirut profile while retaining fermentation gases.
Use initial heat and limited steam followed by a dry finish to produce an airy crumb and crisp sesame shell.

Method

Scale and combine

Whisk the flour, sugar, instant yeast and optional mahlab together. Add the 360 g water and mix until no dry flour remains. Add the salt and olive oil, then squeeze and fold until incorporated.

Look, smell, feelThe dough should be rough, moderately firm and slightly tacky, with no loose flour at the bottom of the bowl.SafetyTreat raw flour as uncooked food: avoid tasting the dough and clean flour-contaminated surfaces and hands.

Develop the gluten

Knead by hand for 10–12 minutes, or with a dough hook on low to medium-low speed, until smooth and elastic. Do not correct normal tackiness with handfuls of flour.

Look, smell, feelA small piece should stretch into a thin, translucent membrane before tearing; the finished dough should spring back slowly when pressed.SafetyKeep hands and utensils clear of a moving mixer, and stop the machine before scraping the bowl.

Bulk ferment and preheat

Cover the dough and ferment at approximately 24–26°C. At once, place the baking surface in the middle of the oven and a sturdy metal steam pan on a lower rack; preheat to 240°C for at least 40 minutes.

Look, smell, feelThe dough should increase by about two-thirds, feel aerated and show small bubbles beneath its surface. It need not fully double.SafetyUse only a metal steam pan. Never pour water into glass cookware or directly onto the oven floor or heating elements.

Divide and pre-shape

Turn out the dough without punching it flat. Divide into 8 pieces of approximately 124 g. Form each into a loose ball by drawing the edges underneath, using minimal flour.

Look, smell, feelEach piece should have a smooth upper skin while remaining soft and visibly aerated.SafetyKeep the work surface stable and use the bench scraper with its edge directed away from fingers.

Bench rest

Cover the portions and allow them to relax before shaping.

Look, smell, feelThe dough should spread slightly and stretch without immediately contracting.SafetyKeep the portions covered with food-safe material so their surfaces do not dry or collect contaminants.

Shape and coat

Flatten each piece gently into a thick oval. Pierce the center with a finger, then rotate and stretch to make a 15–17 cm ring with an opening at least 6 cm wide. For the traditional Beirut street profile, position the opening slightly toward one end to create a handle-like oval. Lightly moisten the upper surface with the 30 mL water, then press it firmly into the sesame seeds. Place sesame-side up on baking paper.

Look, smell, feelThe ring should have an even wall about 3 cm thick, a clearly open center and a dense, well-adhered sesame coating without torn edges.SafetyUse only clean water and a clean brush or food-safe spray bottle for coating.

Final proof

Cover loosely and proof at 24–26°C. The center openings may be gently widened halfway through if they begin to close.

Look, smell, feelThe rings should look approximately one-half larger and feel light. A gentle fingertip indentation should return slowly while leaving a shallow mark.SafetyDo not place proofing trays on a hot oven surface.

Steam and bake

Load the kaak onto the hot baking surface. Wearing oven gloves and keeping your face back, pour the 150 mL boiling water into the preheated metal pan and close the door immediately. Bake at 240°C for 6 minutes. Remove the steam pan carefully, reduce to 210°C and bake for another 12–14 minutes, rotating only if needed for even color.

Look, smell, feelThe kaak should be deeply golden, the sesame fragrant and toasted, and the shell firm. The base should sound hollow when tapped; a center temperature of 96–98°C confirms doneness.SafetySteam can cause severe burns. Use long oven gloves, open the door from the side and never lean over the steam pan.

Cool and set the crust

Transfer immediately to a wire rack and leave uncovered for at least 20 minutes. Do not stack or bag while warm.

Look, smell, feelThe crust should become dry and crisp as steam escapes, while the interior remains light and resilient.SafetyAllow hot bread and trays to cool away from children and unstable edges.

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Chef notes

Dough temperature controls the schedule. In a cooler kitchen, fermentation may take longer; judge expansion and the fingertip response rather than forcing the stated times.
An opening smaller than 6 cm is likely to seal during oven spring. Shape it larger than the desired final opening.
For professional production, bake directly on a fully heated deck with controlled initial steam, then vent the chamber for the final third of baking.
Mahlab should be subtle. Excess turns the bread perfumed and can obscure the flavor of toasted sesame.
A crisp shell depends on a fully heated baking surface, complete baking and uncovered cooling.

Common mistakes

Adding excess flour during kneading, which produces a heavy, dry crumb.
Under-kneading, leaving the rings unable to hold fermentation gases or maintain their shape.
Degassing aggressively during shaping instead of stretching the dough gently.
Making the center opening too small, allowing it to close in the oven.
Over-proofing until the dough feels fragile and the fingertip depression does not recover.
Bagging warm kaak, which traps condensation and softens the sesame shell.
Leaving steam in the oven throughout baking, which delays browning and prevents a crisp finish.

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Practical substitutions

If strong bread flour is unavailable, use a Lebanese or local white flour with approximately 11.5–13% protein; lower-protein flour may require withholding 15–25 g of the dough water.
Replace 7 g instant yeast with 9 g active dry yeast. Dissolve it in part of the measured warm water for 5–10 minutes before mixing.
Mahlab may be omitted without altering the dough structure; plain sesame kaak is an established preparation.
Sesame defines this bread. Omitting it is necessary for a sesame allergy but produces a different style of kaak; do not substitute an unrelated seed and present it as traditional Beirut sesame kaak.
A heavy inverted baking tray can replace a stone or steel, though the base may be less crisp.

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Plan and store

Make ahead: After kneading, the covered dough may be refrigerated promptly for up to 18 hours. Use 4 g instant yeast instead of 7 g, refrigerate at 4°C or colder, then allow the dough to stand only until pliable before dividing. Do not refrigerate fully proofed rings overnight because they are prone to collapse and surface drying.

Storage: For best texture, eat on the day of baking. Once completely cool, keep in a clean, dry, closed bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze airtight for up to 2 months. Discard bread showing mold, unusual odor or damp spoilage; do not cut mold away and eat the remainder.

Reheating: From room temperature, heat at 180°C for 4–6 minutes. From frozen, heat directly at 180°C for 8–10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before eating so the crust resets. Avoid microwaving if a crisp shell is desired.

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Plate and serve

Serve whole in a cloth-lined bread basket, or split horizontally just before serving. For a Beirut street-style presentation, offer zaatar, sliced tomato, cucumber and olives separately. Labneh or cheese may also be served, but they make the service non-vegan and introduce milk allergens.