Malawach is an easy-to-make, delicious, flaky fried Yemeni-Jewish flatbread. Serve with fresh tomatoes, cheese and eggs for a fabulous breakfast or brunch.

I think I was in my late teens when I first ate malawach on a trip to Israel. It’s a flaky, savoury fried Yemeni-Jewish flatbread, that usually comes served with chopped or grated fresh tomatoes, grated cheese, and schug – a potent fresh chilli sauce.

Sometimes you also get hard boiled egg and various other accompaniments. To be honest, the malawach itself is the star – crispy, rich, flaky fried dough that despite having just a few ingredients is just so delicious!

Wedges of malawach on a turquoise chopping board.

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Yemeni traditions

The vast majority of Yemen’s Jewish population moved to Israel in 1949-1950, following waves of persecution in Yemen. They have unique customs, practices and of course foods, many of which have been preserved by the community in Israel.

Several of the Yemeni community’s traditional dishes and seasonings have made their way into the mainstream of Israeli cuisine, among them malawach, jachnun – a similar dough slow-cooked overnight and eaten on Shabbat – and the delicious hawaiij spice blends. You can find more information and recipes to use the savoury hawaij here, and the sweet hawaij here.

Hand holding a piece of malawach scooping up chopped salad and grated cheese.

Delicious memories

I haven’t eaten malawach for years, and I’ve no idea what made me suddenly crave it, but the other day I had a yearning for the stuff, and such urges must be obeyed. DH was out for the evening, so Kipper and I had a go at making malawach for dinner. We had ours with a chopped Israeli salad, cheese, egg, avocado, and schug. YUM!

Malawach topped with chopped Israeli salad and grated cheese.

Every recipe I’ve ever seen for malawach uses margarine, although I can’t imagine that that’s very traditional! I assume it’s used to keep it parve, although since malawach is often served with grated cheese, you have to wonder why they bother.

The wonderful Encyclopedia of Jewish Food suggests that originally clarified butter – samneh – was used, although oil could be substituted to make the flatbreads parve.

Ingredients for Malawach

Malawach is made from only a few basic ingredients and is surprisingly simple to make. To prepare the malawach dough, all you will need is:

Plain flour – aka all purpose flour
Water
Margarine – or you could use oil or clarified butter, see above
Salt
Vegetable oil or melted margarine for frying

And that’s it! Of course you can also get carried away with the toppings. Chopped or grated tomato is traditional, together with grated cheese and schug – a fiery chili sauce.

I like my malawach with Israeli chopped salad, sliced avocado, hard boiled eggs, and even very untraditional toppings like smoked salmon! You can also use your malawach to make awesome pizza bases. Yum!

Malawach ingredients - flour, water, salt, margarine.

Quick and easy!

The dough is really simplicity itself to make – flour and water and let the mixer do the rest. The dough is rested, then rolled thinly and spread liberally with the softened margarine. Next it has to be folded and rolled, like puff pastry, to incorporate the fat and create the flaky layers.

I used a slightly cheaty method – rolling the buttered dough into a long roly-poly, then folding the ends in to give three layers, then rolling the whole thing flat with a rolling pin. I hope that makes sense.

Kipper was extremely taken with the malawach, but since a) it’s delicious, and b) it was served with boiled eggs, cheese, and an assortment of her other favourite foods, it was never likely to be a disappointment.

Malawach for Dinner? Lunch? Brunch?

Although we ate these malawach for a light dinner, they’re more usually served for lunch or even brunch or breakfast. They’re terrific at any time of day!

The recipe here made four flatbreads, and Kipper and I had two each. We could probably have eaten more of this crispy, rich, flaky fried dough if it had been available though. Double or triple the recipe if you want – it’s super yummy.

Malawach is an easy-to-make, delicious, 3-ingredient flaky fried flatbread. Serve with fresh tomatoes, cheese & eggs for a fabulous breakfast or brunch.

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📖 Recipe

Malawach – Yemenite Jewish fried flatbread

Malawach is an easy-to-make, delicious, 3-ingredient flaky fried Jewish flatbread.Serve with fresh tomatoes, cheese & eggs for a fabulous breakfast or brunch.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Resting time 35

Total Time 1 7

Course Bread, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Israeli, Jewish, Middle Eastern, Vegan

Servings flatbreads

Calories 272 kcal

Ingredients

200 g plain flour
100 ml water
Pinch salt (optional)
50 g margarine
Extra margarine or oil for frying

Instructions

200 g (1⅔ cups) plain flour, 100 ml (⅖ cup) water, Pinch salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, water, and a pinch of salt and mix using the dough hook until a soft dough is formed. Leave the motor running to knead the dough for a few minutes – it should leave the sides of the bowl clean.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to stand for 30-40 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
50 g (¼ cup) margarine
Roll a piece of dough into a circle roughly 20-25cm (8-9 inches) in diameter and spread a quarter of the margarine evenly over it – it will look like a lot of margarine! Roll up to form a long roly-poly, then fold the ends in to give three layers. Finally, flatten together slightly with the rolling pin and set aside.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Extra margarine or oil for frying
Heat a little oil or margarine in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Roll one of the pieces of dough out into a 20cm (approx. 8 inch) circle, then fry in the hot oil for a few minutes on each side, until golden, crisp, and cooked through.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
Serve warm or hot, cut into wedges.

Notes

Malawach is usually served with grated cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes, hard boiled egg, and schug – a fiery chilli sauce.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Malawach – Yemenite Jewish fried flatbread

Amount per Serving

Calories

272

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

Sodium

120

Potassium

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

447

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword bread, flatbread

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More delicious Israeli recipes

Malawach is a popular dish in Israel, where you will also find creamy and delicious malabi pudding, cool and refreshing limonana – mint lemonade, and incredibly moreish, crunchy red cabbage salad. Or check out the recipes below…

Overhead image of malawach with chopped salad, chug and slices of boiled egg.

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