Khobz

Morocco's round, sesame-seeded daily bread: a slightly flattened, crusty wheat loaf with a pale golden top, sold from communal furnans (ovens) across every Moroccan medina. Khobz is the vehicle for everything: torn into pieces to scoop up tagine, harira, kefta or msemen; or eaten at breakfast with olive oil, honey and amlou (almond and argan oil paste).

Origin: Morocco & North Africa

From the journey of Wheat.

Communal bread baking is one of Morocco's most enduring traditions; every neighbourhood medina has its forran (communal wood-fired oven) to which families bring their shaped and stamped loaves each morning. The baker stamps each family's bread with their own wooden seal for identification. This tradition traces to the Islamic medieval city, where communal ovens were a defining feature of urban planning alongside the mosque, the hammam and the market. Khobz (from the Arabic خبز for bread) is the daily bread across the Maghreb: each country with slight variations in shape and spice.

Ingredients

  • 350 g plain flour
  • 150 g fine semolina
  • 7 g active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp anise seeds (optional)
  • 280 ml warm water
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in 50ml warm water. Leave 5 minutes. Combine flour, semolina, salt and anise seeds. Add yeast liquid, remaining water and oil. Knead 8 minutes.
  2. Divide into 2 large or 4 small rounds. Place on a semolina-dusted surface. Press each into a flat disc about 2cm thick. Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds.
  3. Cover with a cloth and prove for 1 hour until the dough springs back slowly when pressed.
  4. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Prick the surface of each loaf all over with a fork: this prevents excessive puffing.
  5. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and hollow when tapped underneath.
  6. Wrap in a cloth immediately to soften the crust slightly. Tear at the table; do not slice.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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