Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Bint al-Sahn
Many paper-thin layers of buttery dough baked and drenched in honey and scattered with nigella seeds, Yemen's honey cake.
Yemeni · advanced · serves 8
prep 45 min · cook 30 min
~603 cal · 9g protein · 83g carbs · 27g fat · 2g fiber · 35g sugars · 16g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bint al-sahn, daughter of the plate, is a treasured Yemeni sweet bread, a honey-soaked, many-layered pastry served at celebrations, holidays, and honoured gatherings. It sits at the intersection of bread and dessert, rich with butter and honey.
A soft, egg-enriched dough is divided, rolled paper-thin, and stacked with generous brushings of butter between each layer, then baked until golden. While hot, it is drenched in honey and scattered with nigella (black seed), whose gentle bitterness balances the sweetness. Torn into buttery, honeyed layers and eaten by hand, it is a dish of real generosity.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
4 cups flour
3 eggs
1 cup butter ()
1 cup honey
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp nigella (black) or sesame seeds
Instructions
1
Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water, then knead it with the bread flour, the eggs, most of the melted ghee, the salt and enough extra water for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth but no longer sticky. Rest it 10 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Bread flour, not plain: the stronger gluten lets the dough stretch to transparency without tearing, which is the whole difficulty of this bread.
2
Divide into 8 or 10 pieces, roll each into a smooth ball, oil them lightly, cover, and let them rise and relax for 30 minutes.
3
Toss or roll each ball out until it is thin enough to see through, lay it in a greased round pan and drizzle melted ghee over it, and repeat for every layer except the last, which gets no butter.
✎ Chef’s note
Paper thin is not an exaggeration; you should be able to read through the sheet. Letting the balls relax first is what makes that possible, and it is why this is made at home rather than in restaurants. If the first attempt tears, it still bakes and tastes good.
4
Brush the top with beaten egg yolk, scatter with nigella or sesame seeds, and bake at 400F (200C) for 18 to 20 minutes, until deep golden.
5
Pour honey and more melted ghee over it while it is hot, and serve warm, torn apart by hand.
✎ Chef’s note
It is called a honey cake in translation but it is really a rich flaky bread served with honey and ghee, and like any bread it is at its best straight from the oven.
Yemeni celebration tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sana’a. The green relish is sahawiq or bisbas in Yemen; zhoug is the Yemenite Jewish and Israeli name for the same thing. The froth on top of saltah is hulba, fenugreek soaked and whipped until it turns pale and light, and it goes on last so that it is still rising when the pot reaches the table.
🗺️
Yemen. The green relish Israelis call zhug is sahawiq or bisbas in Yemen, and it is chilli, coriander, garlic and cardamom pounded fresh rather than jarred. Bint al-sahn is the layered honey bread, brushed with clarified butter between sheets, and the honey poured over it is a serious export, sidr honey in particular fetching prices that surprise outsiders.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Yemen
SaltahA bubbling stone-pot stew crowned with whipped fenugreek froth (hulba) and fiery green sahawiq, Yemen’s national dish.
MasoubMashed flatbread and ripe banana bound with honey and topped with cream, nuts, and dates.
MandiSmoky spiced rice and tender meat traditionally cooked in an underground oven, a celebrated dish of Yemen and the Gulf.
Browse all Yemen recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a Yemen meal
FahsaDinner
QishrDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bint al-Sahn?
Many paper-thin layers of buttery dough baked and drenched in honey and scattered with nigella seeds, Yemen's honey cake.
Where does Bint al-Sahn come from?
Bint al-Sahn is a Yemeni dish from Sana’a, Yemen.
Can Bint al-Sahn be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bint al-Sahn recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bint al-Sahn safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bint al-Sahn take to make?
About 75 minutes total (45 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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