Bread & Savory BakesDifficulty: hard

Msemen (Moroccan Layered Flatbread)

Name: Msemen (Moroccan Layered Flatbread)
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 400 g flour; 100 g fine semolina + extra for folding; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp yeast; 80 ml olive oil + 20 g melted butter (for spreading); Warm water); Semolina for dusting

Flaky square Moroccan flatbreads, folded in layers with semolina and fried on a dry pan until crisp outside, tender inside.

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Instructions

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1Knead flour, 100 g semolina, salt, sugar, yeast and warm water for 10 minutes into a very soft, elastic dough; rest 30 minutes under a cloth.

2Divide into 12 balls; rest 15 minutes, coated in oil so they don't dry.

3On an oiled surface, flatten each ball paper-thin with oiled hands.

4Dot with the butter-oil mix, dust with semolina; fold the four sides to the centre into a square — the folds create the layers.

5Rest the squares 10 minutes; then flatten gently to 1 cm.

6Cook on a dry hot pan, 3–4 minutes per side, pressing with a spatula, until blistered with dark gold spots and cooked in layers.