Halawet el Jibn (Sweet Cheese Rolls with Cream)
Local name: حلاوة الجبن
In short: Soft semolina and melted cheese dough rolled around thick milk cream, sliced into rounds and served with rose syrup and chopped pistachios. It takes about 1 h 15 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Resting
- 2 h
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Halawet el jibn means cheese sweet, and it is a pride of the pastry shops of Hama and Damascus. A warm dough of semolina and stretchy melted cheese is rolled thin, spread with a thick milk cream called qishta, and rolled up like a log. The slices are drizzled with scented sugar syrup and scattered with pistachios. It is soft, milky and lightly sweet, and many people eat it at breakfast.
Instructions
- Make the syrup: simmer the sugar, water and lemon juice for 8 minutes, then stir in the rose water and let it cool.
- Make the cream: whisk the milk, heavy cream, cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes until as thick as pudding. Stir in the orange blossom water, press plastic wrap on the surface and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Make the dough: whisk the water, sugar and semolina in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes until a thick paste forms.
- Add the mozzarella and lower the heat. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth and stretchy.
- Tip the warm dough onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Dust the top, then roll out quickly into a rectangle about 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) and 3 mm (1/8 in) thick.
- Spoon the chilled cream in a strip along one long edge. Roll the dough up tightly into a log, using the sugar-dusted surface to help, then trim the ends.
- Cut the log into 5 cm (2 in) pieces with a sharp knife. Serve with the syrup and pistachios, and chill any leftovers.
Tips
- Use low-moisture mozzarella or a blend with halloumi that has been soaked in water to remove salt. Fresh mozzarella is too wet and will not make a workable dough.
- Work while the dough is warm. If it cools and cracks, warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds. No qishta? Thick clotted cream or mascarpone sweetened with a spoon of sugar works.
Questions and answers
Can I make halawet el jibn ahead?
Make the syrup and cream up to 2 days ahead. The rolls are best on the day they are made but keep covered in the fridge for 24 hours.
Which cheese is best?
Low-moisture mozzarella is the easiest to find and melts into a smooth dough. In Syria, akkawi cheese soaked to remove the salt is the usual choice.
Why is my dough hard to roll?
Cheese dough sets as it cools. Roll it as soon as it is smooth, keep the surface dusted, and reheat it briefly if it stiffens.
How long does it take to make Halawet el Jibn (Sweet Cheese Rolls with Cream)?
About 1 h 15 min in total: 45 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Halawet el Jibn (Sweet Cheese Rolls with Cream)?
About 490 kcal per serving, with 17 g of protein, 43 g of carbohydrates and 28 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 490 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 33 g |
| Sodium | 380 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
