Honeycomb Bread Stuffed Cheese & Olives
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This Honeycomb Bread Stuffed Cheese & Olives is made of small rolls of dough stuffed with mozzarella cheese and olives and is sure to be a hit! These cheese buns, are best served hot from the oven because the cheese oozes out.
Honeycomb Bread Stuffed Cheese & Olives- Khaliat el Nahal
This Olive and Cheese Buns recipe is a popular breakfast in Lebanon. It is known as “Khaliat el Nahal” in Arabic which translates to “bee honeycomb” or “beehive” in English. It is made out of connected mini buns, each bun is stuffed with mozzarella cheese and one pitted olive. These mini buns are then placed on a round baking pan as close to each other as possible and baked to perfection.
For this honeycomb bread recipe, I used shredded mozzarella cheese because I that’s what I had on hand, but you can also cut out about 30 small pieces of mozzarella sticks to stuff your little buns. This will be a lot easier.
What you Need to Make Lebanese Honeycomb Bread:
(Scroll down for exact quantities and a printable option.)
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Instant yeast
Sugar
Salt
Vegetable oil
Milk
Cheese
Black olives
Egg white- for brushing
Roasted sesame seeds- for garnishing
Step by Step to Shaping the Olive and Cheese Stuffed Buns:
- Punch down the dough.
- Cut out about 30 small pieces of dough and arrange on a lightly floured surface.
- Using the palm of your hand flatten each individual dough.
- Fill each piece of dough with about 1 teaspoon of shredded cheese.
- Add one pitted olive.
- Pull up the sides of the stuffed rolled out dough and wrap around the filling, pinching it to close at the top. Using your palms roll out into smooth balls.
- Generously grease a 10 inch round baking pan.
- Arrange the stuffed balls on the greased pan as close to each other as possible. (It will look like a beehive).
- In a small bowl, whisk egg white and brush the top of the arranged stuffed buns.
- Sprinkle with some roasted sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Storage:
Honeycomb bread is freezer friendly. Double the batch, and place in an airtight freezer bag or container before freezing. Thaw on the counter or heat them up in the oven before serving.
A deliciously cheesy Honeycomb Bread Stuffed Cheese, makes a great side for any dish.
More Bread Recipes? Here are some!
Cheese Manakish
Lahm bi Ajeen- Lebanese Meat Pies
Zaatar Swirl Bread
Cheese Manakish
Spinach Pies
If you like this healthy Lebanese Olive and Cheese Stuffed Bread recipe or any other recipe on The Salt and Sweet Kitchen, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! You can also follow and tag me on my Instagram page.
Honeycomb Bread Stuffed with Cheese (Khaliat Nahl)
Yield:
30 buns
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Additional Time:
2 hours
Total Time:
2 hours 45 minutes
A deliciously cheesy Honeycomb bread stuffed cheese is a great side for any dish.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cups warm milk- I heat mine up in the microwave for a few seconds.
For the Filling
- About 30 pitted black olives
- 1 egg white
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or cut out about 30 small cubes of cheese.
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds- optional
Instructions
To make the dough:
- In a small bowl, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes to foam.
- In a large mixing bowl with lid, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder very well.
- Add warm milk and olive oil and start kneading.
- Pour in the yeast mixture. Continue kneading until soft dough forms. I knead until dough feels elastic, smooth, and no longer sticks to my hands (If after mixing, the dough is still too sticky for you, you can sprinkle just a tiny bit of flour).
- Shape the whole dough into a big ball.
- Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil on ball-shaped dough and spread evenly.
- Cover the dough with a piece of seal plastic wrap and close with lid
- Wrap container with a large blanket or towel (to keep warm) and leave to rise for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
To Make the Bread Rolls:
- Punch down the dough and cut out about 30 small pieces of dough.
- Arrange the small pieces of dough on lightly floured surface.
- Using the palm of your hand flatten each individual dough (I usually will flatten and fill one piece at a time, but you can consolidate tasks by flattening all pieces then filling and closing all pieces.)
- Fill each piece of dough with about 1 teaspoon of the shredded cheese and one pitted olive.
- Pull up the sides of the rolled out dough and wrap around the filling, pinching it to close at the top. Using your palms roll out into smooth balls.
To Assemble and Bake:
- Pre heat oven to 350 F.
- Generously grease a 10 inch round baking pan.
- Arrange the stuffed balls on the greased pan as close to each other as possible. (It will look like a beehive).
- In a small bowl, whisk egg white and brush the top of the arranged stuffed buns.
- Sprinkle with some roasted sesame seeds.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm and enjoy!