Knafeh, also known as Kanafeh, Kunefe, KAdayif, Knefe, Knufe, and any other possible letter combination that spells a somewhat similar sound to this, is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made of shredded filo dough, soaked in a sweet aromatic sugar syrup, and filled with delicious melted cheese. This video will show what to do and what not to do when making one in the convenience of your home.

Ingredients:

Syrup:
2 small sage leaves
1 quarter-coin size Lemon zest
3 cups Sugar 
2 cups water

Dough:
2 sticks sweet cream butter (preferable) or unsalted butter, melted
1 package (1 lb) Shredded Phyllo dough

Filling:
1.5 cups milk
6 tbsp fine grain semolina flour
2 tbsp Sugar (optional)
4 8oz (~1 kg) fresh mozzarella balls

Garnish (optional but incredible)
1/2 cup Pistachio - ground

Method:

Syrup: In a saucepan mix the sugar and water until the sugar is melted. If the consistency of the liquid is very thick, feel free to add a bit more water. Add a little piece of lemon skin (size of a quarter), and 2 small (not tiny) sage leaves (preferably fresh). After a couple of hours, remove the sage and the lemon so they don't overpower the taste. Set aside.

Dough: Even though the dough is shredded, you want the noodles to be between 2-3 inches long. You can go over them with a knife or break them apart in your hands. In a large bowl, mix the shredded phyllo dough and melted sweet cream or butter very well until everything is coated well. Set aside.

Filling: In a small saucepan heat 1.5 cups milk, bring it to a gentle boil, add the semolina flour and mix consistently until thickened. 
In another bowl, shred the fresh mozzarella balls with your hand, a knife, or a cheese grater, add sugar and the semolina mixture, and mix all well. 

Layering: In a suitable oven tray, that's been greased (better with butter), take 3-4 handfuls of the phyllo dough and spread them on the tray. Patting down as you do that.
Then spread all the cheese mixture on top of that until it covers all the edges. Thirdly, spread the rest of the phyllo dough on top evenly until it covers everything, gently patting it down as you go. If you are using two trays, like we did in the video then divide the amounts accordingly.

Baking: Preheat the oven to 350, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brownish on the whole top (you can use the broiler for a couple of minutes in the end if it didn’t achieve the color, but keep an eye on it). You can also use a convection setting (if you have it), which might make the process faster, but keep an eye on it, regardless which setting you use. If it becomes too brown too fast on top, then you can cover the top, so the rest bakes well together. 

Serving: Once it's out of the oven, pour all the syrup (you don’t have to use it all), on the whole tray, and let it soak in, which is the common practice. In the end you can garnish with the pistachio by randomly spreading it over and add a teaspoon to each piece on top. Let it sit 10-15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy it warm!

00:00 Intro
01:45 Step 1
03:10 Step 2
07:46 Step 3
15:40 Optional Step 4
17:22 Cutting and Glazing
20:21 Tasting
21:31 Outro