Persian Zaban sweet Recipe, delicious Iranian sweet in 9 steps

By Fatemeh Baniali On Oct 11, 2023 Last updated Nov 3, 2023

5/5 - (1 vote)

Persian Zaban sweet is one of the most famous sweets in our country. The high durability of zaban sweetness has made this sweet food one of the most popular sweets and snacks.

Sweets are foods for gathering ceremonies, and pastry-making combines flavours to create memorable moments.

Sweets are usually divided into two categories: sweeter and dry. Persian zaban sweets are classified as dry sweets; be with the Cookery Magazine for an amazing journey in the world of Persian Zaban Sweet.

Ingredients for making Persian zaban

High quality white flour	300 grams
Butter	150 grams
Egg	1 piece
Liquid oil	1 tablespoon
Lemon juice or lemon essence	½ tbsp
Salt	1 tbsp
Vanilla	½ tbsp
Cool water	1 cup
Pistachio powder and coconut powder (for decoration)	As much as needed

Ingredients for preparation Persian zaban sweet syrup

Sugar	1 tablespoon
Water	4 tablespoons
Rose water	1 tablespoon
Honey	4 tablespoons
Brewed saffron (if desired)	½ tablespoon
Cardamom (optional)	1 tablespoon

Zaban Recipe

One of the most important points in how to prepare Persian zaban sweets is to prepare its dough;

Note that all materials must be cool, and the environment or work table should not be hot during work.

If you want to prepare a tasty and high-quality pastry, join us:

The first step

First, take the sifted and cooled flour from the refrigerator and put it in a suitable container then take the cold butter out of the freezer and grate it with a coarse grater in the container in which you poured the flour.

Then add salt to the ingredients and mix the ingredients with a fork so that the heat of your hand does not transfer to the ingredients.

The second step

After that, add cold water and fresh lemon juice or lemon essence to the previous ingredients and gently knead the ingredients with the tips of your fingers.

To avoid transferring the temperature of your hands to the ingredients and melting the butter, you can use cooking gloves and only Knead until the ingredients are combined together.

The third step

Pour the dough into a nylon zip cap and rest in the freezer for 1 hour. After an hour, take the ingredients out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator or fridge for about 2 hours until they are soft enough to spread and mold;

The fourth step

In the meantime, prepare the special syrup by pouring honey, water, sugar and rose water in a suitable container and stirring until the sugar is dissolved and you have a thin and uniform syrup. Place the syrup in the refrigerator to cool.

The fifth step

Now, we have reached the exciting stage of baking this sweet! Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread it on a suitable surface using a rolling pin with a diameter of one centimetre.

In this step, the speed of the operation is so important that your dough does not heat up and remains cool. Then, mould the dough using a special mould.

The sixth step

If you don’t have a cookie cutter or Persian zaban Bakeware, you can cut it into rectangles of the same size using a knife or a pizza cutter.

Then, cut the center of the dough with a knife so that the heat penetrates into the pastry during cooking and the dough becomes layered.

The seventh step

Before or after cutting the middle of the dough, you can spread the syrup you have already prepared on the dough with a pastry brush. If you want, you can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on it.

The eighth step

Spread greaseproof paper inside the oven tray, transfer the moulded dough to the tray and place it in the preheated oven.

Set the oven temperature to 220°C at the beginning of cooking for 5-10 minutes, then let the cooking continue at 180°C for 15 minutes.

The ninth step

After cooking, if you wish, you can turn on the flame of the grill oven for a few minutes to roast it.

After removing the cookies, while it is still hot, brush them with the remaining nectar and decorate them with pistachio powder or coconut powder if desired.

Your homemade zaban sweet is ready, and after it cools down, you can arrange it in a suitable container and eat it with hot tea.

Golden tips for having the best Persian zaban sweet

Despite its simplicity, the way to prepare zaban sweets also has some tips that you will have a more delicious and high-quality dessert if you follow them:

Always remember all ingredients, even the tray and mould, must be cool during preparation.

The pastry dough does not need a lot of kneading, and it is enough that the ingredients are combined and uniform.

To make it tastier, you can use brewed saffron and cardamom powder to prepare nectar.

If you have prepared the dough at home, it is good to know that you can keep it for three days in the refrigerator and one week in the freezer.

Using the thousand-layer dough that you make to prepare tongue sweets, you can also cook bow-tie and Mille-feuille.

If you have diabetes or food restrictions, you can remove sugar from the raw ingredients to prepare zaban sweets.

Persian zaban sweet dough and Hezarla dough (Puff pastry) have a normal appearance and become puffy and layered after baking.

If you take the prepared moulded dough from both sides and twist it, after baking, you will have bow-tie sweets.

Try to avoid heating honey when preparing nectar because honey loses its properties when heated and produces poison.

Be sure to set the oven temperature correctly; otherwise, the baking step may not be done correctly.

After removing the cookies from the oven, apply syrup on them once more to make them shiny.

Excessive consumption of lemon juice may cause the cookies to tilt during baking.

To have a high-quality dough and to speed up the work, it is better to prepare the dough 24 hours in advance and leave it in the refrigerator.

When cutting the dough, it is better to put all the necessary tools, such as a rolling pin, cutter and knife, in the freezer for a few minutes so that they are completely cool when working with the dough. Note that the dough itself should not reach room temperature.

Having a journey in the history of Zaban sweet

One of the types of desserts that are used in most gatherings, occasions and parties is sweet.

Shirini Zaban is one of the most delicious and authentic Iranian sweets, which unconsciously brings us back to our childhood weddings.

At first glance, it may seem difficult and complicated to make this pastry, but it is enough to bake it at home only once, and it will become a permanent part of your pastry making.

In the not-so-distant past, this sweet was one of the most popular sweets and was seen in most gatherings.

In our country, Iran, due to the variety of climates, there are many sweets that, if we wanted to name them all, might be impossible.

A series of sweets are more well-known than others and can be seen and prepared in all cities, in all seasons and in most confectioneries, including Persian zaban sweet, which is the subject of our discussion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can sugar be removed from Rumal Syrup?

If you have diabetes or food restrictions, you can eliminate sugar.

Where can you get Hezarla dough?

You can find Hazarla dough in confectionery and food stores.

What kind of flour should we use to prepare hezalar dough?

Baking flour, completely white flour or three-zero flour are the best options for preparing this pastry.

Zaban Recipe

Recipe by Fatemeh BanialiCourse: SweetCuisine: Persian FoodDifficulty: Difficult

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

0/108

kcal

The most important part of this sweet is its dough, which is called Hezarla dough.
Hazarla dough is a type of multi-layered dough that is prepared by putting butter inside the dough and folding it.
In fact, in terms of taste, butter is the best option for this dough among all types of fatty ingredients.
The flour used in Hazarla dough is a combination of pastry flour and bread flour (without bran), and the more bread flour used, the tastier the dough will be.

Ingredients for making Persian zaban

High quality white flour, 300 grams
Butter, 150 grams
Egg, 1 piece
Liquid oil, 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice or lemon essence, ½ tbsp
Salt, 1 tbsp
Vanilla, ½ tbsp
Cool water, 1 cup
Pistachio powder and coconut powder (for decoration), As much as needed
Ingredients for preparation Persian zaban sweet syrup
Sugar, 1 tablespoon
Water, 4 tablespoons
Rose water, 1 tablespoon
Honey, 4 tablespoons
Brewed saffron (if desired), ½ tablespoon
Cardamom (optional), 1 tablespoon

Directions

The first step
First, take the sifted and cooled flour from the refrigerator and put it in a suitable container then take the cold butter out of the freezer and grate it with a coarse grater in the container in which you poured the flour.
Then add salt to the ingredients and mix the ingredients with a fork so that the heat of your hand does not transfer to the ingredients.
The second step
After that, add cold water and fresh lemon juice or lemon essence to the previous ingredients and gently knead the ingredients with the tips of your fingers.
To avoid transferring the temperature of your hands to the ingredients and melting the butter, you can use cooking gloves and only Knead until the ingredients are combined together.
The third step
Pour the dough into a nylon zip cap and rest in the freezer for 1 hour. After an hour, take the ingredients out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator or fridge for about 2 hours until they are soft enough to spread and mold;
The fourth step
In the meantime, prepare the special syrup by pouring honey, water, sugar and rose water in a suitable container and stirring until the sugar is dissolved and you have a thin and uniform syrup. Place the syrup in the refrigerator to cool.
The fifth step
Now, we have reached the exciting stage of baking this sweet! Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread it on a suitable surface using a rolling pin with a diameter of one centimetre.
In this step, the speed of the operation is so important that your dough does not heat up and remains cool. Then, mould the dough using a special mould.
The sixth step
If you don’t have a cookie cutter or Persian zaban Bakeware, you can cut it into rectangles of the same size using a knife or a pizza cutter.
Then, cut the center of the dough with a knife so that the heat penetrates into the pastry during cooking and the dough becomes layered.
The seventh step
Before or after cutting the middle of the dough, you can spread the syrup you have already prepared on the dough with a pastry brush. If you want, you can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on it.
The eighth step
Spread greaseproof paper inside the oven tray, transfer the moulded dough to the tray and place it in the preheated oven.
Set the oven temperature to 220°C at the beginning of cooking for 5-10 minutes, then let the cooking continue at 180°C for 15 minutes.
The ninth step
After cooking, if you wish, you can turn on the flame of the grill oven for a few minutes to roast it.
After removing the cookies, while it is still hot, brush them with the remaining nectar and decorate them with pistachio powder or coconut powder if desired.
Your homemade zaban sweet is ready, and after it cools down, you can arrange it in a suitable container and eat it with hot tea.

Notes

Despite its simplicity, the way to prepare zaban sweets also has some tips that you will have a more delicious and high-quality dessert if you follow them:
Always remember all ingredients, even the tray and mould, must be cool during preparation.
The pastry dough does not need a lot of kneading, and it is enough that the ingredients are combined and uniform.
To make it tastier, you can use brewed saffron and cardamom powder to prepare nectar.
If you have prepared the dough at home, it is good to know that you can keep it for three days in the refrigerator and one week in the freezer.
Using the thousand-layer dough that you make to prepare tongue sweets, you can also cook bow-tie and Mille-feuille.
If you have diabetes or food restrictions, you can remove sugar from the raw ingredients to prepare zaban sweets.
Persian zaban sweet dough and Hezarla dough (Puff pastry) have a normal appearance and become puffy and layered after baking.
If you take the prepared moulded dough from both sides and twist it, after baking, you will have bow-tie sweets.
Try to avoid heating honey when preparing nectar because honey loses its properties when heated and produces poison.
Be sure to set the oven temperature correctly; otherwise, the baking step may not be done correctly.
After removing the cookies from the oven, apply syrup on them once more to make them shiny.
Excessive consumption of lemon juice may cause the cookies to tilt during baking.
To have a high-quality dough and to speed up the work, it is better to prepare the dough 24 hours in advance and leave it in the refrigerator.
When cutting the dough, it is better to put all the necessary tools, such as a rolling pin, cutter and knife, in the freezer for a few minutes so that they are completely cool when working with the dough. Note that the dough itself should not reach room temperature.

Conclusion

Persian zaban sweet is one of the traditional and authentic Iranian sweets that has been used for many years in parties and various occasions, and it can be said that it is one of the most popular Iranian sweets.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and would like more recipes of this type, you can try our cake yazdi recipe.

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