Jachnun – Yemenite overnight pastry

1. Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a mixer bowl. Knead for 10 minutes with a kneading hook while gradually adding 2.5 cups of water, until a homogenous smooth dough is obtained. Add an additional tablespoon of flour if the texture is sticky. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in it for an hour.

2. Make fist-sized balls from the dough with well-oiled hands. Place on a baking tray, covered with an oiled baking paper. Cover the tray in plastic food wrap and let the balls rest overnight at room temperature.

3. In the morning, the dough balls should be very soft. Stretch one ball at a time, on a greased surface, as thin as you can, and without tearing the dough (don’t worry if there are small holes in the dough - that's fine).

4. After stretching the ball throughout the surface, a large rectangle of dough is obtained, almost as thin as paper. Brush the square in ghee. Fold one-third of the length of the dough toward its center. Fold its other third to the center too, so that you receive a long roll, about 10-15 cm wide.

5. Brush again with the ghee. Roll sideways from one end to the other with oiled hands so you get a plump finger-shaped roll. Place in a small baking pot covered with baking paper (place a pita or a slice of bread at the bottom of the pot, that will absorb the excess butter dripping from the pastries while being baked). Repeat the process with the rest of the balls.

6. Arrange the fingers in the pot in a row and one layer above the other. Cover the pot with greased baking paper and a heavy cover. Bake for 16 hours in a heated oven at 100 Celsius degrees.

7. Serve with hard-boiled eggs, crushed tomatoes and chili paste (preferably Yemenite schug).