¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 ½ Cups Semolina-available in ethnic markets or as “pasta flour” in supermarkets
¾ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
¾ Cup Plain Yogurt
¼ tsp. Vanilla Extract
¾ tsp. Orange Flower Water- or substitute 2 tsp. grated orange zest
¼ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Orange Juice
½ Cup Walnuts-pieces or halves (optional)
Preheat oven to 325°f. Coat a 9” pie pan with vegetable spray. Sift together the first measure of sugar, semolina, baking soda, and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla and orange flower water. Add the yogurt mixture to the semolina and stir until smooth with a rubber scraper. Pour out into the pie pan, smoothing out and leveling.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until firmer. While baking, prepare the syrup by combining the second measure of sugar and the orange juice in a pot. Bring to a simmer to dissolve sugar and reserve warm. After 15 minutes of baking, top the bars with the walnuts and bake another 10-15 minutes to toast. If not using the walnuts, just bake the bars for about 25-30 minutes total. When bars come out of the oven, evenly drizzle the warm syrup mixture over the bars and allow to soak in. Serve cut into wedges at room temperature. Enjoy!
