Msemen (Moroccan Layered Flatbread)
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Msemen is a Moroccan flatbread made by spreading dough paper-thin, dotting it with butter and semolina, and folding it into a square, twice, before frying. The folding is what creates the layers, and the layers are the entire dish. The name is a description of the method. Msemen means oiled in Arabic, and the recipe uses a great deal of oil: on the work surface, on the hands, in the dough, dotted through the folds. That is not excess, it is technique. Oiled hands slide over the dough rather than tearing it, which is how you get it thin enough to see the surface through. The double fold is the structural step. Spread thin, dot with butter and semolina, fold into thirds, dot again, fold into thirds the other way. Each fold multiplies the layers, and the semolina between them keeps them from fusing, which is exactly the job flour does in a laminated puff pastry, arrived at from a completely different direction. Two things separate msemen from its Moroccan neighbours. Beghrir is the yeasted thousand-hole pancake, a different thing entirely. Rghaif is a broader family name that msemen belongs to. Cooking them in the order they were folded matters. The first ones have rested longest and spread most easily.
AFN Heritage Note
Msemen is a Moroccan layered flatbread made by spreading dough thin and folding it twice with butter and semolina between the layers, then frying it on a griddle. The name means oiled in Arabic. It belongs to the rghaif family of Moroccan breads and is eaten at breakfast with tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the water and combine into a dough.
- 2
Knead by hand or with a dough hook until very smooth, soft and elastic but not sticky. Adjust the water or flour as needed to get that texture.
- 3
Divide the dough into balls the size of small plums, making sure the tops and sides are smooth. Set them on an oiled tray, cover loosely and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- 4While the dough rests, set up
a large flat surface for spreading, bowls of vegetable oil, semolina and very soft butter, and your griddle or frying pan ready on the stove.
- 5
Oil your work surface and your hands generously. Dip a ball of dough in the oil and set it in the centre of the space. Using a light, quick sweeping motion from the centre outward, spread it into a paper-thin circle. Re-oil your hands as often as you need so they slide rather than drag.
- 6
Dot the spread dough with butter and scatter it with semolina. Fold it into thirds like a letter to make a long rectangle. Dot and scatter again, then fold into thirds the other way to make a square.
- 7
Set the folded square on the oiled tray and repeat with the rest, keeping track of the order in which you folded them.
- 8
Heat the griddle over medium heat until quite hot. Take the first square you folded, set it on the oiled surface, oil your hands and pat it firmly to flatten it to about double its size.
- 9
Cook on the hot griddle, turning several times, until cooked through, crisp outside and golden. Transfer to a rack.
- 10
Repeat with the rest, in the order they were folded. Once each has cooled a minute, pick it up by opposite ends and flex it gently to separate the layers.
Africook’s Notes
- Oil everything, hands, surface, dough. Msemen means oiled and it is a technique rather than an indulgence.
- Spread, do not roll. A rolling pin compresses the layers you are trying to create.
- Semolina between the folds is what stops the layers fusing. Skipping it gives you a thick flatbread rather than a layered one.
- Cook them in the order you folded them. The first have rested longest and spread most easily.
- Flex each one gently once it has cooled a minute. It separates the layers and is oddly satisfying.
- Sweet version: serve with melted butter and honey. Savoury: stuff before folding with onion, tomato and spices.
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