Lebanese Semolina Pancakes with Cardamom and Cinnamon

About This Recipe

These pancakes take their inspiration from atayef, the small, spongy semolina pancakes traditionally eaten across the Levant, especially during Ramadan, either folded around a sweet filling and fried, or eaten open-faced and soaked in syrup, closer to how they appear here as a warm-spiced breakfast. Semolina flour combined with a little all-purpose flour and a touch of yeast gives these pancakes their signature spongy, dimpled top, full of tiny holes that soak up syrup beautifully. Cardamom and cinnamon go into the batter itself, a warm-spice combination common across Lebanese sweets, rather than being sprinkled on afterward. The batter needs real resting time for the yeast to do its work and the semolina to hydrate fully, which is what gives these their distinct chew, somewhere between a pancake and a crumpet, rather than the fluffy cake texture of a Western pancake.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cupfine semolina flour
• 0.5 cupall-purpose flour
• 1 tspinstant yeast
• 2 tbspsugar
• 0.5 tspground cardamom
• 0.5 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 1.25 cupswarm water
• 1 tbspneutral oil(plus more for the pan)
• 0.5 cuphoney or simple syrup(for serving)
• 0.25 cupcrushed pistachios(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the batter

   Whisk semolina, flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Add warm water and oil, whisking until smooth and lump-free.

2. 2

   Let it rest

   Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly and slightly puffed.

   Don't skip the rest — this is what gives the pancakes their signature honeycomb texture on top.

3. 3

   Heat the pan

   Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and brush lightly with oil. The pan should be hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles gently, not violently.

4. 4

   Cook the pancakes

   Pour small rounds of batter, about 3 tablespoons each, into the pan. Cook only on one side, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes until bubbles cover the entire surface and the edges look dry and set.

5. 5

   Remove without flipping

   Lift the pancakes off the pan once the top is fully set and no longer glossy; they're traditionally cooked on one side only, leaving the top pale and dimpled.

6. 6

   Serve warm

   Stack the pancakes on a plate, drizzle generously with honey or syrup, and scatter with crushed pistachios.

Variations

• •

  Traditional atayef-style: fold the cooked pancakes around a sweetened ricotta or walnut filling and pinch the edges shut.

• •

  Orange blossom version: replace 2 tablespoons of water with orange blossom water for a more traditional Levantine floral note.

• •

  Savory twist: omit sugar and spices, and serve the plain semolina pancakes with labneh and za'atar instead of syrup.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked pancakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat briefly in a dry skillet or toaster oven; avoid the microwave, which makes them rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions