This sweet (holy) bread is just good! According to Chef Ramzi, in The Culinary Heritage of Lebanon, this recipe is at least 100 years old; how about dating back to the Byzantine period?
In the town of Deir el Qamar in the Shouf where our family originates,we would buy this sweet bread at the store; usually, we’d finish it before getting home.
It has no eggs, but all the best flavorings, mastic, mahlab, orange blossom and rose water, nutmeg and some milk. For the sake of authenticity, I used a mold I got online from a purveyor of Greek-based goods, as it is the same mold used in Lebanon. It has an inscription in Greek Christ is risen or something like that; ( I don’t read Greek!). According to Chef Ramzi, this holy bread recipe is from the Greek-Catholic church in Lebanon. It represents the body of Christ and is distributed at church, sold in stores and bakeries; traditionally it was made at home on certain occasions and given to the priest to bless, keep some and give out the rest.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 4 tablespoons of butter, soft (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 pebbles of mastic, ground with a teaspoon of sugar in a marble mortar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon mahlab (can substitute ground anise, or cinnamon)
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/8 cup orange blossom water
- 1/8 cup of rose water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
METHOD:
- Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of water warmed at 110F and a dash of sugar.
- Mix the flour with the sugar, mahlab, ground mastic, nutmeg, dash of salt and baking powder.
- Add the rose and blossom water in a small container. Measure the milk and let it sit at room temperature or make sure it is not too cold. Ideally, you want it at 110F.
- Place the flour mixture in a mixing bowl and add the yeast, milk and rose water mixture and mix the dough until smooth. Let it rest one hour.
- Divide the risen dough into small balls. Let them rise 2 hours.
- Shape the balls into flattened disks and let rise one hour.
- Sift a thin layer of flour on the disks and press the mold firmly on each disk.
- With a toothpick, poke each disk 5 times all around to help prevent it swelling up while baking. (5 times to symbolize Christ who was nailed 5 times to the cross)
- Let the disks rest and preheat the oven to 400F or you can also use your gas grill, making sure the disks are placed on a heavy-bottomed sheet.
- Bake the bread for 10 minutes or so until golden.
Coptic molds
The Coptic church uses a bread that is simply made up of the following ingredients:
- 4 cups of unbleached flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
Use the same method.
41 Comments
This is the first time I am hearing about this bread.Really looks different and must taste good too!!!
Wow, gorgeous!
Oh I love this….Sahtein w hana
I made some this summer and lost the photos when my computer crashed…
I dont have a mold i used a tweezer to decorate a cross … I have to ask mom to bring me one
with her when she comes… Do you think Dabbous Stores are still open in West Beirut???…
they used to sell wooden stamps.
To confirm your story, in Baalback the Qurban are prepared during Easter with the maamoul, you will not find a house in that region without Qurban During Easter time., (The majority of the Christians in Bekaa are Catholic Malakiyeen…(Greek Catholic)
Arlette, I don’t know if Dabbous are still open, I will ask my cousin; the funny thing is, I was looking everywhere last summer for the “malkat” for the maamoul and nobody had them until I found an elderly shopkeeper in a tiny “dekkane” down the street from us in Clemenceau who pulled out some great-looking brass ones from his drawer! If you need some, I will mail you one, I have more than I need!
The inscription NIKA means “He conquers”. The bread – without the flower waters- looks like Artos, a Greek celebration bread.
Lovely recipe, its flavors fit Easter.
Such a beautiful bread!
waawww, what a beautiful shape!!! i like ths version! never seen before! thanks joumana
What pretty moulds! Those beautiful breads must be so frangrant! divine!
Cheers,
Rosa
Comme d’habitude, très très jolis pains! Bisous!
I like your disclaimer…but isn’t it sad that we can’t just enjoy bread without worrying that it will be interpreted as more than just bread.
This particular bread looks delicious though! I love all of the spices in it…definitely very tasty.
This is the first time I’ve heard about this bread…looks great and am sure would taste yumm especially with all the exotic spices in it…The moulds are really very pretty:)
I have to look up “mastic” now. This is a seriously beautiful bread, just gorgeous how you did it.
The mold you used for this bread is simply gorgeous! It looks like one delicious bread. Thanks for visiting my site!
Very beautiful and so nice…..the way u making this bread is really interesting…
wow..these look so wonderful and cute!!! gr8 work, Joumana!
Hi Joumana,
thanks for sharing the recipe. Your molds are very nice too 
Seems simple too. I have to give it a try. I have all the ingredients except the ground mastic, you think it’ll make a big difference?
I love Qurban bread
Je ne connais pas cette recette, merci de me l’avoir présentée.
no!
Joumana, looks great, just like mom’s! As you know, we use the molds for regular bread and they do offer a nice presentation. Glad you found the molds from an online dealer.
I would add to Marianna’s comment that this is also called “prosforo” from the verb prosfero which means to offer. There is a lot more to this bread in Orthodox religion when making this bread. I see in the seal ICXC NIKA this means Ιησούς Χριστός Νικά (Jesus Christ conquerring) and implies conquerring death by his resurrection.
I have a question Joumana. I’ve seen you mentioning a couple of times “Greek-Catholic church in Lebanon”. Is there a church where both orthodox and catholics share?
looks like a beautiful tasty recipe. The ingredients sound divine–no pun intended!
Isn’t it too bad that folks from the ME need to put a disclaimer about religion for English language readers not familiar with the diveristy and complexty of religion and spiritual thought and practice in the ME? I say, let them eat cake!
Baking cakes for the divinity precedes monotheistic institutionalized religion. Sun cakes are still baked in Norway, sun cakes that are linked to the old calender and the old beliefs. Putting a cross on the cake or an inscription referencing Jesus is a recent addition in the passage of spiritual rituals honouring the abundance of food given to us by the Mystery which does not have a name. Which goes by a 1000 names.
Joumana, what an interesting recipe! You know, in one particular region of Azerbaijan, they make this bread called kulche on Ramadan. The dough is prepared differently than yours and the bread is flaky (multiple layers, buttered), but the mold we press onto the bread to obtain a pattern is so much similar to what you have! Except it is a flower with sort of fanned leaves all around. But the concept of decorating them with a mold is almost the same. The mold is made of clay and has a handle. Isn’t it interesting? So much in common. Love your blog. I learn so much from you.
Thankyou so much for introducing this fantatsic bread!
It does sound like it would be wonderful indeed!
This bread is so pretty, I love that design from the mold you used! I love reading about recipes with a history, so I’m really glad you shared this one!
This Holy Bread looks great!
Hi Ivy,
Fortunately this time I can answer your question! No, the Greek-Catholic church and the Greek-Orthodox church in Lebanon (throughout the Levant actually) are separate. They were not initially; This church was founded around the 4th century in Antioch, which was a Greek colony (founded by one of Alexander’s generals). The liturgy and the people of that era spoke Greek and this went on (I am being super brief here!) till the 18th century, when there was a break with the Orthodox church. So, you can say that the Greek-Catholics (also called Melkites) have a foot in the East and a foot in the West; they embraced Rome and papal authority (I heard they were bribed lol) and yet they retain their attachment to their Byzantine rites and traditions; for example the liturgy was always in Greek and Arabic; so, in short, the two are separate even though the liturgy is almost identical! (in both churches in Lebanon I saw the priest say “tfootfoo al-shaytan” translating ” spit spit at the devil!”
Your holy bread look absolutely delightful. I think a couple of these served up with a good cup of coffee and the world would be good.
Thanks for sharing.
It would take a few therapy sessions for me to get up the courage to break into a bread this beautiful.
Btw, I’m very interested in trying your recipes, some of which contain ‘mastic.’ So I think it’s high time I looked it up.
First the name of the bread & then it’s look, wow !…never seen anything like that…mold for breads, another thing added to my “to buy list”….
I’ve heard of this bread before from one of my coobooks but it doesn’t say the story behind the name.Thanks again Joumana for sharing this recipe and the story behind it with us.
Can this bread be used for a 40 day mass?
THANK YOU! I seemed to have lost my Qurban recipe. Ack. Easter is tomorrow. You’ve saved the day! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!
Having lived in Libnan for quite some time in the 90′s I simply fell in love with this bread (and with a lot of things in Libnani culture!).
Now we use it for Easter every year– but simply designed with a cross, as I haven’t found stamps anywhere. Any suggestions where to find them in the US or to order online?
Thanks again for the recipe!
I just made these and they are very fragrent. It will become a tradition in our home to make these every Easter. Thanks for sharing Joumana
Dear Friends, Happy Easter!!!
I am happy that I found your blog. I love Lebanese food. My main source of recipes are Claudia Roden’s books, but it is so good to see; not only to read, how you do things. I admire especially this incredibly beautiful bread. I am Orthodox Christian, and I like very much baking. Every Easter I bake Russian and Italian Easter Bread. I would like very much to try yours. Could you kindly link me to your Greek provider? I would like to use the same authentic mould. Thank you in advance!
hi joumana i love kurban when i always i go to lebanon i have to go to deir al kamar to buy kurban it’s very good there and i’m so happy to got your recepie , i have a question for you i need to know how to make (Kinafe with Kaak) just i want the recepie of kaak if you know it please send it to me thanks for helping
Très joli, je ne connaissai pas cette spécialité!
Merci de ton passage sur mon site!
hi Joumana,I love kurban and always make some for my boys. Yes dabouse still open his shop,at christmas when I was in Lebanon and I bought several mould from his shop in Beirut, the one in tarik al jadida, I hope you can get some it is so nice and traditionalI
Hello!
My name is Simon Jonsson och I am from Sweden. I wonder what the words on the coptic bread stamp means? And what does the 12 crosses and the arrow means? What is the symbolic meaning?
Thanks,
Simon
Joumana,
This bread sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to sample the aroma. I have to make it.
Pam
I saw Qurban on the outskirts of a souk in Tripoli on my trip to Lebanon in July.
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