Msemmen

Makes 15-20

Msemmens are eaten up to twice a day in Morocco. Once for breakfast and again in the late afternoon, but always with sweet mint tea.

Ingredients:

250 grams flour
250 grams semolina
½ tablespoon salt
265 milliliters lukewarm water
Plenty of sunflower oil
A few tablespoons butter

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, semolina, and salt. Slowly pour in the water. Knead rigorously for 5 minutes until the mixture resembles a slightly pasty, completely homogenous dough that pulls apart easily. You may find you need to add a few extra tablespoons of flour.

Pour two glugs of sunflower oil onto a dry surface and knead the dough into it for an additional minute to completely cover in oil. Then, cover with cling wrap and let sit for another ten minutes.

After resting, squeeze the dough through your thumb and forefinger to create golfball sized balls. Set them on an unlined baking sheet to rest, covered in cling wrap, for an additional 5 minutes.

Grab a ball, and flatten it out on a large, well-oiled surface with well-oiled hands to create a very thin circular pancake (so thin that you can see through it) about 20 centimetres (8 inches) in diameter. Place about a teaspoon of butter in the middle of the circle and fold the dough into thirds, twice, to create a small square of dough. Don’t worry if you get a hole in your msemmen; it’s all good.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan over high heat. After letting the folded dough parcels rest for another 5-10 minutes, gently flatten them out to create large 12 centimetre (5 inch) square pieces, and fry in a generous glug or two of oil until golden brown and slightly crunchy on both sides.

Serve immediately with seasonal jams or mountain honey.

Notes:

• These are eaten up to twice a day in Morocco. Once for breakfast and again in the late afternoon, but always with sweet mint tea.
• Mix pieces of caramelized onion into the dough before cooking for a savory Moroccan treat.

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