Rooti Farmaajo (Honeycomb Cheese Bread)
Published March 22, 2023
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ⅔cup/160 milliliters warm whole milk, plus more for egg wash
- 2teaspoons/6 grams active dry yeast
- 1teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 2¼cups/298 grams all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼teaspoon baking powder
- ¼teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 2large eggs, each cracked into a separate bowl and beaten
- 4tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon/62 grams melted salted butter
- 1(5.4- or 6-ounce) package of The Laughing Cow Original spreadable cheese wedges, chilled
- ¼cup/60 milliliters sweetened condensed milk, plus more to taste
- ¼cup/20 grams unsweetened finely shredded coconut flakes
Nutritional analysis per serving (30 servings)
92 calories; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 61 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir together and set aside for 10 minutes to allow yeast to activate. In a bigger bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cardamom (if using) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, add to the flour mixture, along with 1 beaten egg and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Knead in the bowl until a sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky. Lightly grease dough with 1 teaspoon melted butter. Cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Step 2
Grease a round 9-inch springform pan using the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grab chilled cheese wedges and cut 30 pieces of cheese (about ½ teaspoon each). Once the dough has doubled in size, cut the dough into two equal portions. Take one half of the dough and roll it out into a thick rope. Cut the rope crosswise into 15 equal sections. Take one of the cut pieces of dough, roll it into a ball then flatten it into a disk and place 1 piece of cream cheese in the middle. Pinch the dough closed at the top and roll it into a ball using the palms of your hands. Once it’s round, place it into the greased pan, arranging it with its smoothest side up, and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Make sure the balls of dough are equally spaced out, and allow the dough to rise, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Step 3
After the second rise, brush the dough with an egg wash of the remaining egg beaten with a splash of whole milk, then bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Step 4
When the rolls have finished baking, take them out of the oven and drizzle condensed milk on top. Finish off with a sprinkle of coconut flakes. Enjoy warm. Rooti farmaajo can last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
Thank you, Amanda S, for making the recipe and commenting on your results. I wanted to make this recipe VERY much, but found only your notes amongst the cheese-hysteria. I made the coconut version, and it was really delicious. No idea why everyone is so afraid of Laughing Cow cheese, it is sold everywhere in Europe as well as in the US. The rolls came out with a soft mild center with no separation of oil from the cheese. C'mon everyone, relax, Laughing Cow is not poison.
Wow, this is really good! I wanted to try both the condensed milk coconut version and the honey sesame version, so I did half and half and both were wonderful (I think the honey sesame was a little better). A real treat!
Is "farmaajo" from the Italian "formaggio"? I know there is a history of Italian colonialism in Somalia.
I made this yesterday and while it was good, I encountered two difficulties. First, the dough was extremely sticky, and by the time I added enough flour to reduce the sickness and enough for a dough to come together, I think it altered the ratio of the ingredients too much, resulting in a fluffy and dry end product. This also led to a reduction in the flavor of the cardamom. It could be due to the fact that I used spelt flour. I added a bit of cardamom to the sweetened condensed milk before drizzling and next time I would add even more. I found 20 g of coconut to be a bit excessive, and I recommend letting the cake sit for several hours so that the coconut can absorb some of the moisture from the condensed milk, otherwise the coconut could be a bit dry. Someone from Jordan said they ate something similar growing up and it tasted fairly “accurate”, so it might also be that my American taste buds were expecting something a bit more more moist and dense. Still a fun recipe to try out and I’d definitely try honey and sesame next time for the topping.
YES, Kiki's note should be used to alter the original recipe. (32 servings rather than 30). It makes the division so much simpler! Cut the 8 cheese wedges in quarters, divide the dough in half, make 4 even balls out of each half, then use each ball to make 4 rolls. Kiki 1 year ago I divided the dough for 32pc instead 30pc in total. It's a lot easier to make 16pc from half of the dough than 15pc and 8pc cheese x4=32!
These are very good. Definitely worth the effort. However, they do tend to stick to the bottom of your prepared spring-form pan. Next time I make them, I'll grease the bottom of the pan, apply a round of parchment paper to it, then grease the parchment paper. Like you would for, say, a cheesecake.
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