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These look amazing, like an old family friend used to make! Thanks for posting, haven’t thought of them in forever 
Did you find you needed a stand mixer or a good old by-hand dough whisk was enough?
I can hardly wait to try the SD version. One tip for quicker rise without increasing the amount of levain is to use yeast water . I do this all the time. You get all the wonderful sourdough flavor without the sour and you get a really quick rise particularly with enriched doughs .
I will post my results and let you know. Glad all is well at the mill ! c
caroline, what is ‘yeast water’?
Melissa I just love all your posts and recipes, thank you!
Quick question - about how much butter do you spread per flattened dough ball?
1/2 teaspoon, and do you mean spread butter once and then repeat, meaning two layers of butter, or just one layer of butter then seeds?
Fruit yeast water. There are many variations online for how to make it. Easiest is a chopped up organic apple placed in filtered water and placed in an 80 degree area for several days till it fizzes gently. Cover loosely during the process and stir gently each day. As long as apples are floating it’s fine but when they sink you remove ALL the apples pour the water into a new clean container, leave the residue in the bottom and discard as its dead yeast cells. You can store in fridge after it fizzes gently and smells like cider. Never cover tightly. Feed with new Apple whenever they sink… usually every 10 days to 2 weeks. Add more water as needed. I use a quart glass jar. Mix the YW with = parts flour and it will be your new levain and raise bread just as SD does. Just let it rise till double and use as you do any levain. Tolerates much warmer temps than regular SD and keeps baked goods much more moist than SD.
Glad to bring back bread memories I did the yeast version by hand and the sourdough version with a mixer, so I’d say either is fine.
Good idea! Yeast water adds vigor to the ferment and it’s great for browning of the dough.
Thank you - I’m glad you enjoy my recipes
When you stretch out the dough with buttery fingers, you’re applying a layer of butter. This isn’t much, though, so dip your fingers in the butter again and smooth on more butter before adding the seeds. I list 1/2 stick, but if you need more, go for it. I believe the NYTimes recipe calls for 2 sticks (!)
I went by-eye with both dividing the dough and spreading the butter. Some of my pieces were bigger than others. In fact, when I found that I’d made a very tall roll from a too-big piece of dough, I chopped the roll in two. That’s mostly why the sourdough version has more rolls, but also a large central one from before it occurred to me to chop.
Got it, that makes sense. The first “layer” of butter is in shaping the discs, yummy! Can’t wait to make these. 
Just made this. Used the yeast recipe and it is so easy to make. I didn’t have any nigella seeds so checked out the substitutions and chose oregano and sesame seeds. Did half and half. the dough was easy to work with and the results are great. Now to keep everyone away from the circle til dinner. Thanks
I love that you made it yesterday. I hope everyone enjoyed it at dinner.
I am an experienced sourdough baker but haven’t made anything quite like this before. Boy I am happy I did. Very happy with the result, clear instructions and great flavour, the nigella I wasn’t sure about but I needn’t;t have worried. Thanks for sharing! Pics on IG @simply_sourdough
Made the yeast version of this today. Fabulous recipe. I didn’t have nigella seeds and so I did a Google search and found that celery seeds and sesame seeds were an acceptable substitute and so I added a combination of both. I hope the picture I tried to add, gets uploaded here. Will make this recipe many times.
I made the yeast version yesterday - it’s mostly gone by now. Such an incredible bread! I’ve had Kubaneh in Israel many times, but this recipe is superior to all of them. In the unlikely case you have leftovers, use them to make french toast. This bread has the richness of a brioche (but with only 2 eggs and very little butter). Don’t skip the nigella seeds - they’re easy to get online, and add a crucial flavor (although I’m sure black sesame will at least keep the look). In Israel, nigella (קצח) is often sprinkled on Challah bread - it’s not considered that exotic.
That is high praise indeed. Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe. I love nigella seeds too – mostly only had them in braided cheese until the Turkish Pide and Kubaneh baking projects. Now they’re also part of my “everything bagel” mix.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I had never heard of it, and was so intrigued when I saw the pictures. I’ve made it twice now, and both times it was so delicious. Luckily it was quite easy to find nigella seeds here. While I had never heard of them, once I opened the package I realized it was the same aroma as the breads from the middle eastern market. I just didn’t realize it came from the seeds!
Picture of today’s baking enclosed.!
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That’s lovely - I’m glad you’re enjoying the bread and aroma of the nigella seeds
I just came across this Bulgarian Christmas bread that is fascinatingly similar to Kubaneh, with a neat alternative rolling strategy.
These have become a hit it our family. I’ve baked both the natural levain and commercial yeast formulas. They were both good, but the yeast version was beautiful. I’ve use the nigella and certainly think it adds a dramatic looks and taste. A wonderful bread. Thank you!!
