Atayef are the equivalent of American pancakes; they contain no eggs; they are only cooked on one side; stuffed with either nuts or cream or cheese; served with a flavored syrup.
Atayef are considered a dessert, not a breakfast food; in Beirut, there are shops where people order these; you can get the clotted cream or ashta there and the syrup as well. They are the traditional pastries that are served during Ramadan.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon of dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon of dry milk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon of sugar
METHOD:
- Proof the yeast by combining it with 1/4 cup of warm water, a teaspoon of sugar; place in a warm place and let it foam.
- In a small bowl, sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda; mix with a wire whisk.
- Pour one cup of warm water into a bowl; add the powdered milk and stir to combine well.
- Mix with the wire whisk; add the flour mixture and stir; the consistency should be a little thicker than a crêpe batter. If the batter is too thick, add a little water.
- Heat a crêpe or pancake nonstick skillet till very hot; grease it with a half teaspoon of oil or spray it; place the equivalent of 1/4 cup of batter in the skillet to form a circle. Let it cook for a few minutes on one side; when it has formed little bubbles and it looks dry, take it out onto a plate. Do not flip it.
- As soon as all the atayefs are cooked, fill them with some ashta (cream), a bit of cherry coulis, pinching on one end to form a spoon shape and place in a serving platter; serve right away or within one hour.
To make the ashta or cream: click here or substitute ricotta, sweetened with sugar to taste.
To make the cherry sauce:
- I used a can of sour cherry jam, some fresh cherries deseeded and a tablespoon of starch (corn or wheat); bring to a simmer and stir until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes; cool and serve.
- Substitute: red currant jam with some fresh or frozen cherries.
67 Comments
Eggless pancakes! I must try! Still like them loaded with fresh seasonal fruit and Crème fraîche.
This looks delicious and thr sour cherry jam is one of my favorites.
This reminds me of a crepe or a blintz. Delish, whichever the nationality!
Delicious and beautiful pancakes, makes me drool..
Looks like you’re having a great time eating all Beirut has to offer. Clotted cream – drool…Looking so happy and gorgeous in the pic from the last post too!
Every country has a crepe…. and i love to learn about them all… some are better than others – but how could you go wrong with clotted cream?
Valerie
I love the cute spoon shape created by the pinch on one end. They look delicious with the cream and cherries…what a delightful dessert!
clotted cream and eggless pancakes…oh how interesting…love the pic
sweetlife
Wow, to die for!
Cheers,
Rosa
trop mignon ta recette, elle à l’air délicieuse, belle réalisation que j’aime beaucoup, merci joumana pour le partage.bisou
I have been trying to see if I could make something like pancakes without eggs. I never knew about these. These are way cuter tiny bites with the awesome cherry sauce!! Bookmarked. One lazy weekend this is going to happen
I would love to try this, it makes it so elegant with the clotted cream. Nice looking dessert. Did you add some cherries that you got at the farmer’s market?
@Lyndsey: I sure did! We ate all the really big and juicy ones and I used the leftovers!
that looks tasty!
wow these look great will make for my mum in law as she doesn’t eat eggs
This is a perfect party dessert, incredibly tasty, I have been skeptical about making this dough, so I always buy it from a Mediterranean pastry shop. This is upscale dessert that never fails to impress, it is the easiest flavorful recipe I came across, I especially like how you used cherry jam instead of the maraschino cherry, I would also sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.This recipe is highly recommended, Joumana, you are awesome!!!!!!!
yes… I love any kind of dish with sour cherries… this looks too easy to make and great flavor for the effort… interesting to have a pancake without egg!
Eggless pancakes? Sounds like something I will have to try. These look luscious topped with the sour cherry sauce — and I love the small size! The clotted cream gives a bit of elegance and sophistication too.
Magnifique et délicieux! J’adore, surtout avec la confiture de cerises!
I would eat it for both dessert and breakfast, it just too delicious to skip. Clotted cream is my favorite.
These would be tasty any time of day.
mimi
THIS is what they serve at high tea instead of scones!! I love the idea of a pancake filled with clotted cream and beautiful cherry heaven. Gorgeous photos too!
How interesting. These would be wonderful ‘bites’ at a party.
a different pancake from what I’m familiar with but looks totally yummy with the creamy filling.
sounds like a perfect b’fast to me!
to answer your question abt. almond flour – i think its the same as almond meal, i picked it up from the local supermkt.
the texxture lokks really light and smooth ….wonderful pancakes
Love them!! My favorite dessert!!
Using cake flour for the atayef must give it a much different texture than hotcakes. I know I would enjoy this, especially if it’s stuffed with either nuts or cream or cheese. Also like the idea of not using eggs.
This is like Wow!!!! I love pancakes with clotted cream and cherry sauce and strawberry sauce. A delicious breakfast
j’en ai déjà fait et je trouve ça excellent
bonne journée
I suppose if they are pancake-LIKE then I can have them for breakfast…right? Those fillings look delicious, especially the cherry jam!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I think I’ve had these in the Middle East — they were very small pancakes stuffed with cream or nut filling and soaked in a sugar syrup. I’ve been dying to make them but haven’t found a good recipe…now that I have yours I’m going to be making these soon!
love the clicks they looks so beautiful and nice:and soft
I love atayef but always had it with rose jam ;.. interesting it seems with cherry jam Joumana!
What a delicious combination of flavors. Cherries are a favorite and would be wonderful with a little cream and a pancake.
Perfect pancakes without eggs! I wanted to tell you I made the “surquij” and loved it, I made some pita bread to go with it and it was a great success, thaks again.
I also wanted to mention that down here in Chile, specially in the region were I live now, “cherimoyas” are very popular, I completely agree with you and Mark Twain, there are few fruit so delicious as this: we serve it with orange juice, a favorite dessert called “happy cherimoya” (chirimoya alegre), the orange juice enhances even more the sweetness of the cherimoya. Well, now I needd to find out how those seeds arrived here, we have a great Lebanese colony here, no wonder some of them brought the seeds or even the small trees as inmigrants used to do when travelling away from their home countries. Big hugs
Sounds like a fabulous dessert, especially with those cherries!
these are so delicious- but tell me, arent you supposed to be relaxing in Beirut and being pampered? hope someone is cooking for you, too. x shayma
OMG…I haven’t had breakfast yet…and your pancakes have just brought my hunger to another level.
I just bought a jar of sour cherries last week (they were on special) and I figured I’m sure to use these for something. In comes Joumana with a solution ;o)
Great recipe…I’ll try it this upcoming weekend.
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
Oh, my mouth is “weeping” ..they look fabulous. I’m so enjoying “our” vacation in Lebanon and really look forward to reading your posts!
sounds like a wonderful dessert – yes, i never figured out how pancakes drizzled with strawberry syrup and butter could be a breakfast! i love the ashta and the cherry sauce. very tempting click too.
What a gorgeous dessert. I’m also appreciative of the fact that it is not hard to do. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
That looks great, especially the cherry sauce. I love that they’re bite-sized.
i can’t help but be a tad bit disgusted by the word ‘clotted’ but this is an undeniably tasty creation.
Oh, Joumana! I love this so much!!
Pancakes are so beautiful versatile, aren’t they? You’ve inspired me today to launch beyond the traditional. 
What fun, Joumana! Little crepes with a sweet filling….and you can just pick them up! Think I will add a touch of framboise to my cherries!
Wow, that looks so fluffy and pillowy! I would love to use this in a savory dish, even if it’s meant for dessert!
Oh wow! These look amazing! I could eat them all day breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Oh these look simply divine! Fluffy thin moist pancakes. They probably would also go well with caviar.
These simple desserts are the best. Love sour cherries and I think now is the time to get some and make some spoon sweet.