Jahnun (Yemenite Layered Pastry)
Jachnun is a Yemenite pastry made of worked dough (made without the use of yeast) and traditionally eaten hot during the Sabbath morning meal, after being left to bake all throughout the night within a sealed pot in an oven.
Ingredients 8 ingredients
- 1 kg white wheat flour
- 10 g baking powder (optional)
- 2–3 tbsp white granulated sugar (or to taste)
- 1 leveled tbsp salt
- 2¼ cups of water
- Canola oil
- 200 g butter, soft margarine, or shortening
- 10 hard-boiled eggs
Possible health benefits
General information, not medical advice.
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Wheat flour
High in manganese · 0.8 mg per 100 g, 40% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Manganese contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
- Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue.
1 more authorised claims
- Manganese contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Manganese is a mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses manganese to make energy and protect your cells from damage. NIH fact sheet
High in selenium · 40 µg per 100 g, 72% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Selenium contributes to normal spermatogenesis.
- Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
- Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
3 more authorised claims
- Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Selenium contributes to the normal thyroid function.
- Selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Selenium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Your thyroid gland needs selenium to produce hormones and function properly. NIH fact sheet
Source of folate · 33 µg per 100 g, 17% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
- Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis.
- Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
5 more authorised claims
- Folate contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
- Folate contributes to normal psychological function.
- Folate contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Folate has a role in the process of cell division.
Folate is a B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Your body needs folate to make DNA and other genetic material. NIH fact sheet
Source of copper · 0.2 mg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
- Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Copper contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
5 more authorised claims
- Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.
- Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
- Copper contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
- Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Copper contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Copper is a mineral that you need to stay healthy. Your body uses copper to carry out many important functions, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. NIH fact sheet
Source of protein · 12 g per 100 g, 13% of the energy from protein
- Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
- Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
- Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
Nutrients per 100 g of “Wheat flours, bread, unenriched”, USDA FoodData Central.
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Canola oil
High in vitamin E · 17 mg per 100 g, 146% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient found in many foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. NIH fact sheet
High in vitamin K · 71 µg per 100 g, 95% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
- Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet
High in unsaturated fat · 91 g per 100 g, 92% of its fatty acids unsaturated
- Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels [MUFA and PUFA are unsaturated fats].
- Replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Oleic acid is an unsaturated fat..
Source of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) · 9.1 g per 100 g, at least 0.3 g per 100 g and per 100 kcal
- ALA contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 2 g of ALA.
The three main omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is found mainly in plant oils such as flaxseed, soybean, and canola oils. NIH fact sheet
Nutrients per 100 g of “Oil, canola”, USDA FoodData Central.
Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
Method
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- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center.
- Add some of the water to the well, and mix with your hands. Gradually knead in the rest of the water, then continue kneading for 15 minutes. The dough should not be too soft or sticky.
- Tear off a piece of dough the size of your fist. Flatten and roll it out on your work surface, then shape again into a ball. Repeat this step for the rest of the dough, then brush all the balls with a thin coating of oil.
- Allow the dough to rest for about 1–2 hours, until they have sunken slightly.
- Roll and stretch each ball out on a greased surface until it is very thin. Try to make the dough as thin as possible without it tearing.
- Spread some soft butter over the whole surface of the flattened dough. Make a triangular fold lengthwise, like a shirt fold: fold one-third of the dough toward the middle then fold the other side. Make a small fold up and down, and start rolling (with greased hands) from the bottom to the top, like folding a sleeping bag. You should be left with an elongated, slightly fat rolled jachnun. Repeat this shaping step for all the dough balls.
- Preheat oven to . Line a pot with slices of bread or pita so that it does not become overly dry while baking in the oven.
- Place the unbaked jachnun into a cookie bag, with each bag holding a single layer of jachnun. This prevents loss of moisture. Stack the jachnun in the pot, with 2–3 rows stacked one on top of the other in a criss-crossed fashion (horizontally and vertically).
- Cover the pot with the lid, and bake in the preheated oven for 6–10 hours.
- Serve with hard-boiled eggs and tomato salsa, with a little zhug over the paste.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Saucepan
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Rolling pin