Recipe from Paula Wolfert
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(186)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The Berbers use an unusual leavening method that gives a warm, earthy aroma to the loaves: a mix of semolina flour, water and garlic cloves that quickly ferments into a pungent starter. The recipe requires three kinds of flour and takes two days, but is richly rewarding in flavor. —Julia Moskin
Featured in: Two Directions for Moroccan Cuisine
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Ingredients
Yield:4 8-inch bread rounds
- ⅔cup (104 grams) plus ½ cup (70 grams) regular semolina flour (pasta flour)
- ¾cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2garlic cloves, peeled
- 2⅔cups (400 grams) extra-fine semolina flour
- ½teaspoon (1½ grams) dry yeast
- 2½teaspoons (15 grams) fine salt
- ⅓cup (52 grams) regular semolina flour or all-purpose flour, for handling the dough
- Moroccan Almond-Argan Butter, for serving (see recipe)
For the Garlic Starter
For the Bread
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
644 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 131 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 418 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
For the Garlic Starter
Step
1
Make the starter: In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine ⅔ cup semolina flour with the all-purpose flour. Gradually stir in ¾ cup water to make a wet dough. Mix in garlic, cover, wrap in a towel and leave in a warm place, like an unheated oven, for a day.
Step
2
Uncover the starter, add ¼ cup water and the remaining ½ cup semolina flour, and mix. Cover, wrap in a towel, and leave for 12 to 24 hours. The starter will get a crusty top and blossom underneath. Scoop out ½ cup starter and discard the rest, including garlic cloves (otherwise, as it continues to ferment, the smell would drive you out of your home).
Step
3
Make the bread: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine extra-fine semolina flour, the ½ cup of starter, the yeast and salt. Pulse once or twice. Add 1 cup warm water and process for 15 to 20 seconds to knead. Let rest 10 minutes. Pulsing food processor, trickle in another ¼ cup water. Sprinkle a work surface with flour and turn dough onto it. Cover with an upside-down bowl for 10 minutes. Cut 4 1-foot squares of waxed or parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Divide dough in four and put each piece on a piece of a floured paper, turning to coat. Press each into an 8-inch circle. Cover with kitchen towels and let rise 1 hour.
For the Bread
Step
4
When ready to cook, gently flatten each disk, then prick the tops all over with a fork. Heat an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet or griddle (or two, if you have them) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pan’s surface with flour, then pick up a dough round and flip it into the pan, paper side up. Peel off the paper and adjust the heat so that the bread sizzles gently. When it is browned and blistered on the bottom, about 5 minutes, flip the bread out onto a plate, then slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. Cook about 2 minutes, shaking the skillet often to prevent sticking. When browned, firm and fragrant, slide onto a platter and serve immediately, or cover with a towel to keep warm while you cook the remaining breads. Serve with Moroccan almond-argan butter.
Ratings
4
out of 5
186
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Cam
I've made this three times now, doubling the recipe each time but the first. The first two times I made my bread rounds half-size. Either way, I love the taste of this bread. It takes advance prep, and especially when I make them half size, making and cooking the bread rounds is time consuming. But nonetheless worth it! The only change I make is making just enough starter to avoid discarding:Day 1: 26g semolina, 22g all purp flour, 44g water. Day 2: 17.5g semolina, 14.8g water.
Dirk
Try putting it in the oven with the oven light on next time. The light bulb will bump the temperature from 65 to something more suitable, without overdoing it.
Jeff
Just started this recipe last night. Looked like nothing was happening this morning. The garlic cloves were to be left whole, correct? Temperature in our kitchen overnight is fairly cool - about 65F. Any suggestions?
Ken
This is amazing bread. The starter is extremely sticky. Next time I will be very careful about drizzling the 1/4 c. of water into the dough and stop adding water as it begins to expand beyond a dough ball in the food processor. The garlic cloves seemed to absorb into the starter. Once I started to step 2 to make the bread it all really came together nicely. This went really well with a brisket I had cooking on the smoker all day and it would also go well with a big salad. Enjoy!
Mary
I wanted to love this...it looks so good. Tried the recipe 3 times, adjusting the water so the dough was just right, and managing the heat on my electric stove so the rounds wouldn't burn. Used several types of pans - seasoned cast iron, non-stick skillet. FINALLY, reduced the size the about 5 inch rounds, added a bit of olive oil to the parchment paper, & got perfect results. Only problem: the bread is tasteless ! Way too much trouble for boring bread.
Johanna
Expected more - this makes a nice, garlicky bread. However, the recipe seems really wasteful for no good reason - why make so much starter if more than 3/4 end up being thrown away?
I would also have liked the instructions to be more specific. I didn´t use a food processor and my starter didn´t have a crust (Step 2), so I kind of had to eyeball it from there, unsure what texture to look for. Luckily skilled breads leavened with some yeast are very forgiving.
Kim
There’s a lot of info on the internet about freezing starters. Can be done but you need to give it time and feeding to become active again. I feel that hand kneading will be best for this kind of bread.
Rebecca
Could the regular garlic cloves be substituted with black (fermented) garlic?
VaDad
The bread cooked in the skillet was pretty dense. I threw a few on the stone at 475F and it made outstanding pita. Big, puffy and flavorful.
Dana
Did not have semolina flour, turned out fine with AP flour. Very tasty, followed notes for making the required amount of starter. Cooked half for dinner and put the other half in the fridge uncooked for breakfast the following day. The second batch held up well overnight and did not over prove in the fridge, although the texture on the edges was a tad harder than the first batch. Thought the starter was great and would definitely try it for other breads to add an extra something-something.
Salomé
Really enjoyed the recipe! I agree with comments about the excessive amount of starter, what's the point of discarding so much? I used a lot more than called for in the recipe though - about 1 1/2 cup. It is a time consuming recipe but easy and nice to do, good occupation during quanrantine. I find the bread quite tasteful. I made 8 half-size breads as advised in comments. This size and shape is really lovely to accompany one person's meal or to do sandwiches. I will definitely do it again !
Handan
Can I keep the rest of the starter in the freezer? It would be 2 days less next time. Also, I am planning to knead it in the bread machine. Does this plan make sense?
Kim
There’s a lot of info on the internet about freezing starters. Can be done but you need to give it time and feeding to become active again. I feel that hand kneading will be best for this kind of bread.
Cam
I've made this three times now, doubling the recipe each time but the first. The first two times I made my bread rounds half-size. Either way, I love the taste of this bread. It takes advance prep, and especially when I make them half size, making and cooking the bread rounds is time consuming. But nonetheless worth it! The only change I make is making just enough starter to avoid discarding:Day 1: 26g semolina, 22g all purp flour, 44g water. Day 2: 17.5g semolina, 14.8g water.
Laura Perry
Help - where do you get “extra fine semolina flour”? Amazon has what seems to be regular and fine, but not extra fine. Is it critical to the recipe?
Johanna
Expected more - this makes a nice, garlicky bread. However, the recipe seems really wasteful for no good reason - why make so much starter if more than 3/4 end up being thrown away?
I would also have liked the instructions to be more specific. I didn´t use a food processor and my starter didn´t have a crust (Step 2), so I kind of had to eyeball it from there, unsure what texture to look for. Luckily skilled breads leavened with some yeast are very forgiving.
Amrie
That's the way with all natural starters!
Mary
I wanted to love this...it looks so good. Tried the recipe 3 times, adjusting the water so the dough was just right, and managing the heat on my electric stove so the rounds wouldn't burn. Used several types of pans - seasoned cast iron, non-stick skillet. FINALLY, reduced the size the about 5 inch rounds, added a bit of olive oil to the parchment paper, & got perfect results. Only problem: the bread is tasteless ! Way too much trouble for boring bread.
Ken
This is amazing bread. The starter is extremely sticky. Next time I will be very careful about drizzling the 1/4 c. of water into the dough and stop adding water as it begins to expand beyond a dough ball in the food processor. The garlic cloves seemed to absorb into the starter. Once I started to step 2 to make the bread it all really came together nicely. This went really well with a brisket I had cooking on the smoker all day and it would also go well with a big salad. Enjoy!
Jeff
Just started this recipe last night. Looked like nothing was happening this morning. The garlic cloves were to be left whole, correct? Temperature in our kitchen overnight is fairly cool - about 65F. Any suggestions?
Dirk
Try putting it in the oven with the oven light on next time. The light bulb will bump the temperature from 65 to something more suitable, without overdoing it.
Gaëlle
You might try putting it somewhere a littlr warmer to rise.
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