Honeycomb Bread (Khaliat Nahal)

 

Glaze:

Bread:
In a bowl, mix the milk, sugar and yeast together and set aside for 10 minutes. 

In a separate large bowl, add the flour and salt. Pour in the milk mixture and mix lightly. Add the egg, yoghurt and butter and mix well. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, either using your hands or the dough hook of a stand/electric mixer. The dough will become very soft and elastic.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in volume. 

Punch down the dough, then knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 pieces, then divide each of those into 4 pieces so that you have 24 equal pieces of dough (about 30g each). 

Cut the cream cheese into small cubes, about 1.5cm by 1.5cm. Flatten a piece of dough, then place a cube of cream cheese in the middle and fold in the corners so that it is wrapped inside. Roll the dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and cream cheese.

Arrange the dough ball in a greased 22cm diameter tin, leaving some space in between for the dough to rise. Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 180^oC.

Make the egg wash by beating the egg and water together with a fork. Brush the dough balls with egg wash, then sprinkle over the seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden.

Glaze:
In a small saucepan, add the sugar and water and heat over medium heat. Let the syrup boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the honey.

To finish:
Remove the bread from the oven and immediately pour or brush the hot syrup over. Serve warm.