Msemen is a square, many-layered Moroccan flatbread that fries up crisp outside and soft and flaky within, closer in spirit to a laminated pastry than a regular flatbread.
The layers come from a clever bit of dough handling rather than any laminating with butter sheets. You stretch the dough out thin, almost translucent, brush it with a mix of oil and semolina, then fold it into a square like an envelope before flattening it again to pan-fry. It sounds fussy written down, but it is one of the more satisfying doughs to work with, and the folding gets easy after the first few.
In Morocco these are a breakfast and teatime staple, served hot off the pan with honey, butter, or a bowl of harira (recipe on the site) alongside for dipping. They reheat well in a dry skillet.
Msemen Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine semolina flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 3/4 cup warm water, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup neutral vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Honey, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Gradually add the warm water, mixing and then kneading by hand until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough, about 8 minutes. Add a splash more water if it feels stiff.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Coat each ball generously in vegetable oil, place on an oiled tray, cover, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the semolina flour with 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil to make a thick paste.
- Oil your work surface and hands well. Take one dough ball and stretch and pat it out with your fingers into a thin, roughly square sheet, as thin as you can get it without tearing.
- Spread a thin layer of the semolina paste over the surface. Fold the left and right thirds in toward the center like a letter, then fold the top and bottom thirds in the same way, forming a smaller square packet.
- Gently flatten the folded packet with your palm or a rolling pin into a roughly 6-inch square, being careful not to tear the layers.
- Heat a dry, heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook each msemen for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and the layers are visibly flaky, brushing with a little more melted butter as it cooks.
- Serve hot, torn open at the layers, with honey or butter for dipping.
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