Kleicha

Name: Kleicha
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour; 180 g butter, melted; 2 tbsp sugar; 1½ tsp cardamom; 4 g dried yeast; 1 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; 120 ml milk, warm; 300 g dates, pitted; 20 g butter; ½ tsp cardamom; 1 egg yolk; 1 tbsp milk; 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

كليجة · klēcha

Iraq's beloved cardamom-scented butter pastries rolled around a soft date filling, sliced into spirals and baked golden — made by the trayful for Eid.

Kleicha is an Iraqi pastry, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with cardamom and dates. It serves 30 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Kleicha — Photo: Faisal1904 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 45 min
Total: 1 h 45 min
Serves: 30
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 133

About this dish

Origin: Iraq · Well documentedOften called Iraq's national cookie; similar date pastries are made across the region.More food from Iraq
Dish: Snack · Dessert · Pastries · Sweets & confectionery
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: sweet, buttery, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with: Cardamom · Dates · All-purpose flour · Butter · Sugar · Dried yeast
Techniques: Baking · Kneading

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk
Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

133 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 37 g · recipe makes 30

Where the energy comes from

Protein 6%
Carbohydrate 55%
Fat 39%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	133 kcal	364 kcal
Protein	1.9 g	5.3 g
Carbohydrate	18.9 g	51.9 g
Net carbohydrate	17.8 g	48.9 g
Sugars	7.8 g	21.3 g
Added sugars	0.8 g	2.3 g
Fibre	1.1 g	3 g
Fat	5.9 g	16.1 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	81 mg	221 mg
Salt equivalent	0.2 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 95 mg
Calcium: 25 mg
Iron: 0.8 mg
Magnesium: 9 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 51 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0.1 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): 45 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: sesame seeds.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Lightly oiled hands make the sticky date paste much easier to spread.

Serve with

With strong black tea or Arabic coffee.

Storage

Keeps 1 week in an airtight tin or 3 months frozen.

Variations

Walnut kleicha: Filled with chopped walnuts, sugar and cardamom, shaped into half-moons.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Glaze

Egg yolk1 piece · 17 g
Milk1 tbsp · 15 g
Sesame seeds (optional)1 tbsp · 9 g

Used in steps 1, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 40 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
Rest · about 45 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 20 min at 180 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Start to finish: about 1 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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Kleicha

Ingredients

Dough

Filling

Glaze

Equipment

Method

About this dish

Allergens

Nutrition

Good to know