🇲🇦 Morocco
Batbout
بطبوط · batbout
Morocco’s stovetop pocket bread — a soft, semolina-rich dough that puffs into a hollow pita right in a dry skillet, no oven needed.
Serves makes ~8–20
Photo to come
Ingredients
- 2–3 cups white or bread flour
- 1–2 cups fine semolina or durum flour
- (½–1 cup whole wheat flour, optional)
- 1½ tsp–1 tbsp dry yeast · 1–2 tbsp sugar · 1–2 tsp salt
- 1–3 tbsp oil
- About 1⅓–2 cups warm water
Method
- Bloom the yeast, then mix the flours, semolina, sugar and salt with the oil, water and yeast into a smooth, supple dough.
- Divide into balls, roll each in semolina, and rest.
- Roll each ball into a round and let them rise on a floured cloth until puffy.
- Cook on a hot dry skillet, turning often, until each one balloons up and browns on both sides.
- Cool wrapped in a towel; split to fill as a sandwich pocket.
The family table
Batbout goes by many names — mkhamer, toghrift, matlou’ — depending on the region. The semolina is what gives it the right texture, so don’t leave it out. During Ramadan cooks make them tiny, barely two inches across, and stuff them as bite-size sandwiches for the iftar table. If a thick one won’t puff, just slice it open to make the pocket.
Yumma
Middle Eastern home cooking, organized by country. Your family’s version is the one that counts.