Batbout
Last Updated: 2021-04-26
8-10 ROLLS EASY 160 CAL APPETIZER 110 MIN (95 MIN PREP + 15 MIN COOK TIME)
From my childhood in Ceuta I clearly remember having dinner at the home of some Muslim friends during Ramadan. They would take out these little pieces of bread filled with different ingredients (tuna, corn, lettuce, tomato, …) and I would scarf them down (self-confidence and gluttony have been part of my personality practically since I was born).
Later I learned that this bread was called batbout, that its origin is Berber and that it’s usually eaten as an appetizer (traditionally in Ramadan, but also during the rest of the year) and as an accompaniment to any meal (it’s great with bissara, for example).
In honor of that memory still etched on my mind and my palate, today’s article is about this delicious bread. Hopefully you’ll want to add this to your “simple recipes to impress your friends” file. In fact, it’s so simple that you probably already have all of the ingredients at home.
Let’s get started!
Ingredients
150 gr. all-purpose flour
250 gr. wheat semolina (or alternatively cornstarch)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry yeast
Enough water to mix the ingredients (usually a half a cup will do)
Directions
Although cooking homemade bread usually involves considerable kneading time, batbouts are surprisingly quick to prepare.
1 Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, wheat semolina, salt and yeast). Mix everything well and add water little by little (warm water binds better). Knead until it’s no longer sticky and, then, keep on kneading for at least another 10 minutes.
2 Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it’s about half an inch (1cm) thick. If it’s still sticky and difficult to knead, spread a little wheat semolina on the counter to make it easier.
3 Cut the stretched dough with a glass or, if you bake and have the necessary tools, you can use a cookie cutter. Let it rest, preferably with a cloth on top and where the air is still, until they have doubled in size.
4 Now, all that’s left is to cook them. An interesting thing about this bread is that it’s not baked, but rather cooked in a pan with no oil. Simply heat the pan until it gets very hot; then we add the batbouts, cooking them for two minutes on each side.
Simple, right? Now all you have to do is take the cornstarch or wheat semolina off the shelf and get down to business.
Much love to all! Hope you try this recipe soon!
If you want to learn more check out our page on famous Moroccan foods.
