Best Msemmen Recipes

MSEMMEN - ALGERIAN FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Make dough:.
• Stir together flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Slowly stir in water until a soft dough forms. If necessary, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and coat with 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough stand at warm room temperature 1 hour.
• Stir together cumin, paprika, turmeric, and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl.
• Form flatbreads:.
• Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and, keeping remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap, flatten 1 piece of dough into a disk. Roll out disk as thinly as possible (into a 9-inch round) on a lightly floured surface with a 6-inch wooden dowel or a rolling pin. Spread 1 teaspoon spiced oil on dough with your fingertips, then roll up tightly into a long cylinder and coil into a tight spiral. Transfer to a large sheet of parchment paper, then loosely cover with plastic wrap.
• Make 11 more spirals in same manner.
• Finish and cook flatbreads:.
• Tape another sheet of parchment to a work surface and on it roll out 1 spiral of dough into a round approximately 6 inches in diameter. Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot, then cook flatbread, turning once, until puffed and browned in spots, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Roll out and cook 11 more flatbreads, stacking them on plate.
• Cook's notes:.
• • Flatbreads are best when freshly made but can be cooked 1 day ahead, then cooled and kept, wrapped in foil, at room temperature. Reheat (in foil) in a 350°F oven or in a steamer about 10 minutes.
• • Spirals of dough can be rolled out (but not cooked) 1 day ahead and chilled, layered between sheets of plastic wrap, then tightly wrapped, on a baking sheet. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

MSEMMEN - MOROCCAN CREPES

Steps:

• Steps for making the dough:.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, semolina, salt, sugar, and yeast).
• Slowly add water and work the dough until you are able to create a ball with the dough.
• If you are kneading the dough by hand, use energetic and quick strokes. Knead for 20 minutes while adding water until you get an elastic dough.
• You can use a kneading machine to speed up the process. Put the dough ball in the machine and automatically knead for the next 10 minutes while adding water.
• Make small balls with the dough (the size of golf balls) and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Note: the amount of water needed depends on the quality of absorption of the flour you are using. the goal is to get at the end an elastic and malleable dough. if your dough is too sticky add some flour; if it is too hard add some water and continue kneading it.
• Steps for folding the Msemmen:.
• Mix the melted butter with the oil.
• Spread some of the oil/butter mixture on a flat surface. Take one dough ball and flatten it with your hands. Gently keep stretching the dough until you get a thin circle of dough. Fold the circle into a square as shown in the video.
• Steps for cooking the Msemmen:.
• Gently spread the dough square with your fingertips until you get a thin dough square.
• On low heat, cook the Msemmen 5-10 minutes in each side.
• Note: the Msemmen is served hot with honey and Moroccan mint tea.

MSEMMEN

Steps:

• Make a well in the center of the flour, add the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil and the water. Knead for about 10 minutes to form a very smooth dough. Using well oiled hands, make 6 balls and place them on an oiled surface. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Rub your hands with some of the vegetable oil to thoroughly grease them, then on a greased surface such as a sheet pan, flatten out each ball with the palm of your hand stretching the dough gently in all directions until it is very thin and about 12 inches square. Sprinkle with semolina, then fold in two sides to the center, sprinkle again with semolina and fold in the other two sides, to form a square packet, approximately 3-4 inches in size. Flatten this again as thin as you can, to form about a 5 inch square. Cook on a hot oiled griddle or cast iron pan until blistered and brown in spots on each side.