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cheese sambusak break fast
Photo credit Joanna Nissim

The Best Cheese Sambusak

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5 from 2 reviews

   Avraham’s perfect sambusak have made him a North London institution. 

  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 50

Ingredients

For the pastry:

  • 1 kg self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 250 ml neutral oil
  • 400 ml warm water

For the filling:

  • 850 g Gouda or Edam cheese, in blocks
  • 150 g feta or halloumi cheese, in blocks
  • 80g plain flour
  • 78 large eggs + 1 egg, for egg wash
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Freeze the cheese blocks for several hours until they are frozen through. When you take them out the freezer, pat them dry with a paper towel.
  2. Make the pastry by mixing all the ingredients together in a stand mixer, using the dough hook. Once it forms a clean, smooth ball, leave to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 170/175°C (340°F).
  4. Roll the frozen cheese blocks in the flour and then grate.
  5. Add any remaining flour to the bowl of grated cheese. Mix well and add 1 tsp salt (less if the halloumi or feta is very salty). 
  6. Add the first seven eggs to the cheese mix, one by one, until the mix is moist, bound and firm, and not runny.  If it looks dry, add one more beaten egg, bit by bit, to loosen. 
  7. Roll the dough to ¼ cm thick. Cut out 7 cm circles of dough using a cookie cutter. Add 1 Tbsp mixture to the center of each circle and fold over into half-moons, using an egg wash to seal the sides together. Using a fork, press down to ensure the edges are sealed. 
  8. Place all the sambusak onto cookie trays (up to 20 per tray) and into the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops are starting to turn golden. 

Notes

 You can freeze the sambusak before or after baking. If freezing before, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, so they do not stick together. 

  • Author: Joanna Nissim and Avraham Mansoor
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Sephardic