Maarouk, the Levantine Brioche

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October is "bread month" at Foodies+. A staple for most people across the globe, bread comes in more shapes, forms and tastes than you can think of. My choice to celebrate this theme is a wonderful bread that hails from one of the most ancient cities in the world: Aleppo, Syria. Maarouk, a brioche-like bread, is quite popular in Aleppo all year long, but it is especially popular during Ramadan.

Maarouk has a texture that is quite similar to a good brioche, but the flavor profile is different. While vanilla, and sometimes citrus zest, flavor brioche, maarouk relies on the aromas of anise, fennel and if available mahaleb (a cherry grown for its aromatic kernels)  to get its unique taste.

The process of making maarouk is easy but you need to be patient to get a a very soft and extremely tasty bread. (This one of the endless recipes you can find)

For the dough you need:

• 250 g bread flour
• 80 g lukewarm milk (37 C)
• 8 g fresh yeast or 2,5 g dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 30 g sugar
• 10 g honey
• 5 g sea salt
• 1 tsp fennel seeds 
• 1 tsp anise seeds
• 1 tsp mahaleb (if available)
• 100 g soft butter

First crush the salt with the fennel, anise and mahaleb seeds, set aside.

In a bowl combine the milk with the yeast and mix well until dissolved, add 80 g of the flour and mix again, add the rest of the flour over the mixture and cover the bowl and let it rest for half an hour.

Now add all the ingredients but the butter and knead for at least 10 min on a low speed. Once you have an homogeneous  and soft dough start adding the butter piece after piece and knead for 10 more minutes.

Transfer the dough into a clean bowl and let it rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size. Now bring the sides to the middle, to let out the accumulated gases, cover the bowl and place in the fridge over night or at least 8 hours. I usually prepare the dough at night and leave it to proof in the fridge over night.

In the morning, or after 8 hours, take the dough out of the fridge and cut into pieces, depending on the braid you want to shape. I opted for a 6 strands braid so I divided the dough into 6 pieces about 90 g each. Braid the dough and leave it to rise, it will take between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the room temperature.

Before the maakrouk is almost ready, preheat your oven to 180 C for about 20 min.

Brush the bread with egg wash (1 egg with 1 tsp of milk and a sprinkle of  instant coffee). Leave it to rest 10 min and egg-wash it again, sprinkle sesame seeds or any other seed of your liking and bake for about 25 to 30 min or until golden brown. 

Once baked, place the bread on a cooling rack and brush it with a simple syrup (50 g water, 50 g sugar, few fennel seeds (optional) and few drops of lemon juice) and leave it to cool.

Enjoy a slice of maarouk with some honey, cream cheese, jam, or anyway you like; the options are endless. I personally enjoy this bread in the morning with a dollop of jam and a big warm cup of coffee for some comforting indulgence before the start of a long working day.

The bread will stay soft and delicious for at least 4 days, due to the slow fermentation process.

Insider tip: you can use the dough to make a wonderful stuffed bread perfect for breakfast. Stuff the rested dough with the cheese of your choice, let it proof for the final time, and bake as indicated.