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Ka’ak al-Quds (sesame ring bread)

Ka’ak al-Quds · Jerusalem sesame bread · Ka‘ak al-Quds · Ka’ak al-Quds sesame ring bread

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Palestinian milk-enriched wheat rings coated in sesame and grape molasses, shaped into long ovals and baked without a bagel-style boil.

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A golden, elongated oval sesame-coated Jerusalem ka’ak al-Quds bread ring on warm ivory.

Jerusalem's sesame ring bread

Reem Kassis describes ka’ak al-Quds as an oblong, sesame-covered bread sold from carts in Jerusalem's Old City and eaten through the day. She pairs it with za’atar, white cheese and vegetables, and sweet tea. Her measured recipe is a home version; she notes that it does not reproduce the taste of street-sold ka’ak.

This batch makes six long oval rings from a soft milk dough coated in sesame and grape molasses. It bakes directly in the oven. The formula does not boil the rings, despite English descriptions that compare ka’ak al-Quds to bagels. Other regional ka’ak and ring breads may use different doughs and cooking methods.

Sources for this section

Mix a soft dough

Combine 4½ cups (500 g) all-purpose or white bread flour with 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1½ cups (350 ml) warm whole milk, 1 tablespoon fast-action active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook until the dough comes together into a soft, pliable ball. For hand mixing, knead until smooth and pliable; if it feels too stiff, add a little milk.

Rub the dough with olive oil, cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. The dough contains milk, so keep it in a warm place below 90°F (32°C). FoodSafety.gov's time limit for perishable food is 2 hours unrefrigerated at or below 90°F, shortened to 1 hour above 90°F. The recipe's two rests total about 85 minutes; do not use a hotter proofing spot or prolong the schedule there.

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Shape and coat six rings

In a shallow bowl, wet 1 cup (150 g) hulled sesame seeds with 1–2 tablespoons grape molasses and 1 tablespoon water. Add water in small amounts until the mixture is wet enough to cling to dough without clumping or running off.

Gently press large air bubbles from the risen dough and divide it into six equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch each piece into a log about 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) long. Join the ends to form a ring and rest the rings for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Dip each ring into the sesame coating, then gently stretch it into a long oval. Set it on a baking sheet for a final 10-minute rest.

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Bake and serve

Bake the rings for 15–20 minutes, until deeply golden and cooked through. Cool them on a wire rack. Serve warm with za’atar, white cheese or vegetables and tea. The source suggests freezing leftovers and reheating them in an oven, but does not establish a validated storage limit.

This bread contains wheat, milk and sesame. People avoiding any of these allergens should not eat it. The source recommends freezing leftovers for up to one month and reheating them in an oven; this is the author's storage advice, not a validated safety limit. Flour is raw before baking: do not taste the dough, keep it away from ready-to-eat food, and wash hands and equipment after handling.

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A bread offered to visitors

An account of Um Hani in Jerusalem Quarterly describes her Mount of Olives home becoming a destination for visiting groups. Alongside coffee she served Jerusalem's oval sesame bread. The recollection places the bread in domestic hospitality as well as the street-cart setting described by Reem Kassis.

That particular household account does not establish a universal serving ritual or the bread's first appearance. It adds a documented use of a recognisable Jerusalem bread while leaving the measured six-ring home method, its dairy handling and its distinction from street-baked ka’ak intact.

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History

Reem Kassis describes Jerusalem ka’ak as oblong sesame-studded bread woven into daily Old City life, sold from wooden street carts and eaten warm with za’atar, white cheese or vegetables and sweet tea. She cautions that this home recipe will not taste the same as the street breads. This supports a local use association; it does not establish the first appearance of ka’ak or a single origin for sesame-ring breads.

Ingredients

Yield 6 ka’ak rings · Scaling: source batch only

All-purpose flour or white bread flourUse either flour listed by the author.
500 g
4½ cups (1 lb 2 oz)
Sugar
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Salt
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Whole milkWarm.
350 mL
1½ cups / 12 fl oz
Active dry yeastFast-action yeast.
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Baking powder
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Olive oilFor rubbing over the dough.
as needed
Hulled sesame seeds
150 g
1 cup / 5 oz
Grape molassesMix into the sesame coating; adjust between 1 and 2 tablespoons to make a wet coating.
22 mL1½ tbsp as recorded
1–2 tablespoons
WaterFor the sesame coating; add more only as needed to wet the seeds and molasses.
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
plus more as needed

Method

Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and dough

Flour can contain harmful bacteria; do not taste raw flour, dough or batter, and bake the rings through.

Hazard source
Milk-containing dough held warm

The dough contains whole milk. The source estimates 30 minutes preparation plus 85 minutes resting before baking; counting only the rests understates its total unrefrigerated schedule.

Hazard source
Sesame and milk allergens

The bread contains sesame and milk, which are major food allergens.

Hazard source

Do not taste raw dough. Keep flour separate from ready-to-eat foods, wash hands and utensils after handling it, and bake the bread as directed.

Control source

Keep the milk-containing dough below 90°F (32°C) and bake promptly. The source estimates 30 minutes preparation plus 85 minutes resting, about 115 minutes before baking; count all time out of refrigeration, including mixing and shaping. FoodSafety.gov advises refrigerating perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Since the first rise alone takes about 1 hour, do not proof this dough above 90°F.

Control source

Tell diners the bread contains sesame and milk; do not serve it to someone who must avoid either allergen.

Control source

This recipe contains wheat, milk and sesame.

Keep the milk-containing dough below 90°F (32°C) while it proofs. The source estimates 30 minutes preparation plus 85 minutes resting before baking; count the total time out of refrigeration, not only the proofing rests.

This home version differs from street-baked ka’ak in Jerusalem; it is not a claim of identical bakery texture.

  1. Put the flour, sugar, salt, warm milk, yeast and baking powder in a mixer bowl with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until a soft, pliable dough forms. To mix by hand, combine them in a large bowl and knead until smooth and pliable. If the dough seems too stiff, add a little more milk.
  2. Rub the dough with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave it to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Keep the milk-containing dough in a place below 90°F (32°C); follow the perishable-food time limits in the safety notes.
  3. While the dough rises, mix the sesame seeds with 1 tablespoon grape molasses and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow bowl. Add small amounts of water as needed until the coating is wet enough to cling without clumping.
  4. Gently press the risen dough to release large air bubbles. Divide it into 6 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch each piece into a log about 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) long, join the ends to form a ring, and rest the rings for 15 minutes.
  5. Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Dip each ring into the sesame mixture, then gently roll and stretch it into a long oval, like a stretched zero. Put the rings on a baking sheet and rest them for about 10 minutes.
  6. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until deep golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack. This source method goes straight into the oven; it does not boil the rings.

Conditions

Yield6 ka’ak rings
Active time30 min
Fermentation1.42 h
Temperature230°C
Temperature controlAmbient, monitored

Places

Jerusalem

Traditional preparation · Locality evidence

The source documents Jerusalem ka’ak in Old City daily life and provides a home version; it does not claim a singular origin for sesame ring breads.

See Jerusalemon the mapLocation source 1 →

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Made from

  • Sesame seeds

    Sesame seed, from Sesamum indicum, is about half oil and is eaten whole, ground into paste or pressed into oil. It was a crop of South Asia by the Harappan period and reached Mesopotamia before 2000 BC.

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Sources