Marrakech Tagine Bread

Page 101

Cuisine: Moroccan/Algerian/Tunisian | Course Type: Breads

(1 review)

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Recipe Review

I'm very confused about semolina flour....none of the options in my grocery store seem to fit the descriptions so I don't know if I purchased the correct type. But, I went ahead and made this bread anyway!

The recipe is simple, with basic ingredients apart from the semolina flour, and is made in a food processor. After combining the dry and liquid ingredients, I ended up with a paste.....not anything that could be kneaded into a smooth and silky dough. It took ~1 extra cup of unbleached all purpose flour to achieve the correct consistency. This was the first time I made bread in a food processor....and it was also the last.....it took forever to clean all the nooks and crannies!

The dough was easy to work with and after a brief rest, was shaped and left to rise. You're instructed to deflate the dough before baking....another first for me. It smelled of couscous while baking and tasted of it as well.

It was a little dense (that may have been because of incorrect flour) but very absorbent and held together well even when saturated with liquid...great for sopping up the juices of the lamb tagine I served it with.

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Comments

Peckish Sister - 23rd February 2012
I agree about semolina flour being confusing. The first I bought was very granular and all the bread I made turned out very dry. I just found some fine semolina flour and cannot wait to try it out.

Zosia - 23rd February 2012
I picked up a different brand today from another grocery store - this one is packaged in Italy and specifically says it's for pasta. It's slightly finer than the one I used to make the bread so I'll have to give this recipe another go.

Queezle_Sister - 23rd February 2012
I bought Bob's Red Mill Semolina Flour. It worked pretty well on these cookies - the dough was sand-like, but they baked light and crunchy. I don't know if this is coarser or finer than what you've found, but it was pretty pricey.

(edited 23rd February 2012) 

kaye16 - 23rd February 2012
I'm finding the instructions in this book not very good at all. The sidebar on this recipe says that medium-grain semolina should be used (that's what I happen to have in the pantry, but no pizza stone). The sidebar also mentions two other recipes where the medium semolina flour should be used. On those recipes, however, there is no clue about what size grain should be used.

I dislike the use of the sidebar for *essential* information. This should be supplemental, not required, reading.

Queezle_Sister - 23rd February 2012
Kaye16, I agree! Another recipe I'm about to review had instructions that were very difficult to follow - in part because of an odd use of the sidebar.

RE the semolina flour - how does one know if their flour is fine, medium, or coarse grain? My bag from Bob's doesn't say.

Zosia - 23rd February 2012
Kaye16, I also agree....

Queezle Sister, the 2 bags I've purchased so far, one Canadian, one Italian, have no indication of grind on them, yet the Italian is finer. I haven't seen Bob's brand in my store to compare. The only flour I've seen labelled with the grind is a durum atta, described as "No. 1 Fine". I haven't purchased this one as I was unwilling to commit to 2.5kg without being certain it was the correct type ....the addition of wheat bran threw me off....how can it be that fine?

Queezle_Sister - 23rd February 2012
Do any of you think one could produce this flour using a wheat grinder? I have a friend with a grinder, and it might be interesting to experiment. Ah yes, the scientist in me likes the idea of experimentation.

Peckish Sister - 24th February 2012
How about buying the largest size possible and using the grinder to make the medium and fine with hoepfully the smallest outlay of money?

Queezle_Sister - 25th February 2012
If I can find large grain, I'll do it. I'll measure my grain sizes under the microscope, and report back. What recipe do you all think is most sensitive?

Zosia - 25th February 2012
It looks as though the semolina pancakes, page 455, may be very sensitive. Recipe calls for the extra-fine and there are all sorts of dire warnings about what may happen if you use the wrong flour : ).

Zosia - 25th February 2012
Okay.....I broke down and bought the no. 1 fine.....my excuse is that it was on sale for a very good price. (I see a lot of flatbread in my future)

Visually, there is a distinct difference in colour and granule size (QS I wish I had a microscope for this!) but the difference is even more obvious to the touch. The fine is silky in comparison to the others and feels more like AP flour....no grittiness at all.

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