Berber Skillet Breads

Page 110

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

(2 reviews)

View photos (2)

Tags: Flatbread yeast bread extra-fine semolina flour preferment

Recipe Review

This is wonderful bread, so light and airy and with the distinct flavour of semolina. The texture is tender and almost cake-like, not at all elastic/chewy.

I made the bread in a stand mixer instead of a food processor. The ingredients are very basic: semolina flour, yeast, water and salt. I didn’t make the pre-ferment, just used additional yeast and flour. The dough isn’t kneaded for very long – in the processor, for only a few seconds, in the mixer, for a few minutes. After a brief rest, it’s shaped and left to rise for 1 hour.

The recipe doesn’t indicate how hot the pan/griddle should be for cooking the breads. I had it set slightly higher than medium, which turned out to be much too hot. A setting just below medium worked well. You’re instructed to sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour onto the pan before adding the bread. Unfortunately, whatever doesn’t cling to the bread ends up burning, so for the second bread, I just made sure it was well floured, brushing off the excess, before adding it to the pan. There are also elaborate directions for flipping it, which I thought unnecessary as the bread wasn’t particularly fragile and could be turned easily with a spatula. The photograph on the recipe page bears absolutely no resemblance to the skillet breads – they look more like the breads pictured on the opposite page.

This bread was delicious and very easy to make. It was so good, the recipe wasn’t enough for 4 people. I’ll have to double it next time and make it with the garlic pre-ferment as well. I served this with the sautéed shrimp Casa Pepe.

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