Qassim Kleija

1Preparation

1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the melted ghee and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
3. Add the warm milk gradually and knead gently until you have a soft dough that no longer sticks to your hands.
4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
5. Knead the date paste with the ghee and cardamom by hand until soft and even.
6. Divide the dough into equal walnut-sized balls, and the date paste into the same number of smaller balls.
7. Flatten a dough ball in your palm, set a date ball in the centre, then bring the edges up over it and roll until smooth.
8. Press each ball into a disc about 1 cm thick and stamp the top with a kleija mould or the tines of a fork.
9. Arrange the discs on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space between them, and heat the oven to 180 °C.
10. Beat the egg with the saffron and brush it over the tops of the discs.

2Cooking

1. Bake the first tray on the middle shelf until the tops and bottoms are golden.

   ♨️ oven 180°C⏱ 20 min timer
2. Bake the second tray the same way.

   ♨️ oven 180°C⏱ 20 min timer

3Serving

1. Let the kleija cool on a rack for 15 minutes; they firm up and turn more tender as they cool.
2. Arrange them on a serving plate and serve with Arabic coffee or tea.
3. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: over-kneading or adding too much milk makes the kleija hard. Knead only until the dough comes together.
• If the date paste is stiff, warm it for a few seconds in the microwave before kneading it with the ghee.
• Do not bake until dark — kleija dries out and hardens once cool.

🔁 Substitutions

• Replace half the white flour with whole wheat flour for a flavour closer to old-style home kleija.
• Melted butter can replace the ghee.