Khobz (Traditional Round Bread)
The cornerstone of every Moroccan table—this round, slightly domed loaf has a crackly golden crust and a soft, airy crumb perfect for scooping tagines, salads, and dips. Bakers often blend white flour with whole wheat or semolina for nutty depth. A hot oven and steam—or a cast-iron Dutch oven—mimics communal wood-fired ovens found in the medina.
Ingredients
Scaled from 6 base servings — local only.
- 500 gbread flour
- 100 gwhole wheat flour
- 50 gfine semolina
- 7 gactive dry yeast
- 380 mlwarm water
- 2 tspsalt
- 2 mlolive oil
- 2 gsesame seeds
Instructions
Dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar; rest 10 minutes until foamy.
Combine flours, semolina, and salt. Add yeast mixture and olive oil; knead 10 minutes until smooth.
First rise 1–1½ hours until doubled. Punch down and shape into two round boules.
Press tops gently with damp fingers in a crosshatch pattern; sprinkle with sesame. Proof 40 minutes.
Bake at 220°C (425°F) on a preheated stone or in a covered pot 30–35 minutes until hollow-sounding. Cool on a rack before tearing.
Reviews
Sign in to rate this recipe and leave a comment.
No reviews yet — be the first.
Related recipes
Browse all
Rghaif (Oven-Baked Stuffed Msemen)
Rghaif elevates laminated msemen dough into a savory showpiece: the same butter-brushed, semolina-sprinkled layers are wrapped around spiced ground beef, sweet onions, and roasted peppers—or a classic suet-and-herb filling—then baked until the pastry shatters and the filling steams inside. Unlike pan-fried msemen, the oven dries the edges into a crackling shell perfect for cutting into squares at gatherings.

Fekkas (Moroccan Biscotti)
Twice-baked almond biscotti packed with toasted nuts, sesame, and plump raisins—fekkas are built for dunking in mint tea or coffee. Logs are baked until firm, sliced on a bias, then returned to a low oven until completely dry and shatteringly crisp. Every Moroccan grandmother has her ratio of almonds to raisins; this version balances sweetness and crunch.

Ghriba (Cracked Almond Cookies)
Ghriba are Morocco’s “smiling cookies”—chewy-centered, crackled-top rounds made from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites with almost no flour in the classic version. As they bake, the tops split open like smiles. Variations use walnuts or coconut; orange blossom and a dusting of powdered sugar make them irresistible with tea.

Krachel (Sweet Anise Rolls)
Krachel are brioche-like sweet rolls perfumed with anise, sesame, and orange blossom—Fez and northern Morocco’s answer to the French brioche, with a North African spice cabinet. A long, cool proof develops an open, cotton-soft crumb; an egg wash and sesame crust glisten from the bakery window. Tear one open for breakfast with jam and café au lait or mint tea.