Künefe

Difficulty

Time

45 minutes

Crispy pastry threads, cheese, and sugar syrup create a surprisingly delicious taste experience.

Künefe is one of the most popular desserts in Turkish cuisine. Beneath the crispy crust of pastry threads waits a soft, melted cheese center that the sugar syrup makes sweet and juicy. With this künefe recipe, the dessert works in the oven, without any special molds.

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What is künefe?

Künefe (also known as kunafa or kanafeh) consists of kadayıf pastry threads, butter, cheese and syrup. The pastry threads are mixed with butter, layered around the cheese and baked until golden brown. Right after baking, the syrup is poured over it so that the crust stays crispy and the cheese stays soft.

Ingredients for künefe: kadayıf, cheese and syrup

Kadayıf pastry threads: They form the base and the lid. The Yayla kadayif pastry threads are ready to use.
Butter: It makes the dough crispy and golden brown.
Mozzarella: It melts evenly and stretches into strings.
Sugar syrup: Sugar, water and a little lemon juice make the classic syrup.

Künefe turns out well with these tips

Cook the syrup before baking and let it cool. Cold syrup on hot künefe keeps the crust crispy.
Pull the pastry threads apart into small pieces and mix them well with the butter so that all the threads are coated.
Press the dough down firmly so that the layers hold together when serving.
Serve the künefe fresh and lukewarm.

You can find more sweet ideas with pastry threads in our dessert recipe world.

Frequently asked questions about künefe

Künefe is a warm Turkish dessert made of crispy pastry threads (kadayıf), melted cheese and sugar syrup. It is baked fresh and served lukewarm.

The cheese should be mild, melt well and stretch into strings. In this recipe we use mozzarella, which is easy to find in Germany.

For künefe you use kadayıf pastry threads, also called angel hair. They are mixed with melted butter and baked until crispy. The Yayla kadayif pastry threads come in a 500 g pack.

Right after baking, künefe is drenched in sugar syrup and eaten lukewarm, traditionally with Turkish tea. Chopped pistachios or a spoonful of kaymak go well with it, if you like.

With about 45 minutes in total, künefe is quicker to make than many people think. The baking itself takes only 10 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients

250 g	Pastry threads/kadayıf
150 g	Butter
125 g	Mozzarella cheese
2 glasses	Sugar
2 glasses	Water
¼ lemon	Lemon juice

Preparation

Put the sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice at the end and mix well. Let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 200°C top/bottom heat.

Pull the pastry threads apart and tear them into small pieces by hand. Melt the butter and add it to the pastry threads. Mix everything well.

Take small künefe molds or a large baking tray, add a layer of the pastry thread and butter mixture about 1-2 cm thick and press it flat. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and spread it evenly. Then cover with another layer of pastry threads and press flat.

Bake the künefe for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Then take it out of the oven and pour the sugar syrup over it right away. Let the syrup soak in for a while, serve the künefe lukewarm and enjoy it with a Turkish tea.