Msemen is a delightful Maghreb culinary specialty made from dough rolled very thin and folded into quarters to form a square, which is then pan-fried to create a flaky, tender, and slightly crispy flatbread. These flaky Berber pancakes are often called Rghaif or meloui. Traditional msemen is cooked in a frying pan, but it can also be baked in the oven, making it very crispy.
Served as a breakfast or afternoon snack, it can be eaten plain, drizzled with honey and melted butter, or spread with jam or amlou(a Moroccan spread made from argan oil, almonds and honey). Msemen is very popular with a glass of mint tea.
Traditional Msemen – flaky pancakes
Many of you have asked me if I had a recipe for msemen on the blog, so I’m reposting this article, which is a little dated. I apologize for the quality of the photos, which I will redo as soon as possible. But the recipe is superb. You can use this M’semen dough for other recipes, such as mhajeb, meloui, etc… the result is always excellent!
Msemen is as popular during Ramadan as Moroccan baghrir. It is a staple on the iftar table. with Moroccan harira, chebakia , the Algerian chorba etc.
If you’ve ever traveled to Morocco, Marrakech or any other city in the kingdom, you have surely tasted it. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to try this recipe and taste them.
The secret of a good homemade msemen lies in its texture: it should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, while still being flaky. Preparing it requires a certain amount of skill, as the dough must be rolled out thinly and folded carefully to obtain the desired flaky effect.
Depending on your preference, to achieve more flakiness, you can wrap a prepared msemen square in another thinly rolled disk of dough and then reform the square.
The msemmen is often compared to the French crepe or a pancake but its texture, presentation and unique taste clearly set it apart.
Msemens stuffed with minced meat or other fillings of your choice are generally called meloui in Morocco or mhajeb in Algeria.
Stuffed msemen baked in the oven
How to make a success of msemens?
Table of Contents
The recipe for msemen is quite simple, but the key to making them perfectly lies mainly in thoroughly kneading the dough. Everything else remains optional, even though it improves the texture and flakiness.
Knead the dough well to achieve a soft and elastic texture. If you have a good dough that stretches well without tearing, you’ll be able to roll it out very thinly (you can see the work surface through it) without it poking holes.
The dough should be neither too soft nor too hard at the beginning; it will become softer as you knead it well. Add a bit of water gradually during kneading to make the dough more pliable.
Use a mix of durum wheat flour or extra fine semolina with all-purpose flour to prevent the msemen from being too elastic after cooking.
Divide the dough into balls and let them rest before you start rolling them out one by one. The dough will roll out much more easily.
Brush the rolled-out dough with oil and sprinkle with durum wheat flour. This will prevent the layers of msemen from sticking together! It will help achieve a good flakiness.
Add a little baking powder to the semolina used to sprinkle the dough.
Add a pinch of baker’s yeast at the end of kneading the dough. This will result in msemens that are both softer and crispier. The dough must not be left to rise.
Square of msemen before baking
Which flour to use ?
Some just make them with t45 or t55 wheat flour in Europe, or all purpose flour in other countries. Msemen will be well-layered but will have a certain elasticity in the mouth.
Others prefer to use only durum wheat flour or extra fine semolina. Msemens will be well flaky, but will lack suppleness and tenderness.
My choice is to use a blend of both flours. It’s the combination that gives msemens a light, well-flaked texture that’s tender and crispy, with a good mouthfeel.
Mix all-purpose flour (t45 or t55) with a quantity of durum wheat flour or extra-fine semolina. You can choose the proportion that suits you. I mostly work with this ratio:
For 500 g (17.6 oz) t45 flour, add 150 g (5.3 oz) durum wheat flour.
The 1:1 ratio works very well too.
For 350 g (12.3 oz) t45 flour, add 350 g (12.3 oz) durum wheat flour.
Preparation steps :
NB: You can find the detailed list of ingredients in the complete recipe card at the end of the article, which you can print. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images.
The quantity of msemens will depend on the size of the dough balls to form larger or smaller squares.
The msemens dough
1. Mix flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, then combine with water to form a ball.
2. Add the water gradually to obtain a dough that you can knead, but which should not be too soft.
3. Knead well, adding water as you go to soften the dough. You can use a stand mixer if you prefer.
4. Knead the dough for at least 15 minutes. Dilute the baker’s yeast with a spoonful of water and stir into the dough while continuing to knead a little. The dough should be soft and elastic.
5. Take half the dough for the classic msemens and stir in the vanilla diluted in a spoonful of water.
6. The addition of vanilla is not essential, it’s up to your taste.
7. If you want to make only classic msemens, mix the vanilla with the flour at the beginning of the kneading process.
8. Wrap the other half in cling film and refrigerate.
Preparing classic msemens
1. Shape into balls the size of small peach. Coat with oil and sprinkle with a mixture of durum wheat flour and baking powder. Start making your msemens by following the steps and photos below.
2. Roll out a dough ball into a thin circle on the oiled work surface.
3. Sprinkle with the mixture of durum wheat flour and baking powder, then fold one side to the center and the other side over it to form a long rectangle.
4. Fold one side to the center, then fold the other side over to form a square.
5. Brush oil between each fold and lightly sprinkle with the mixture of flour and baking powder.
6. Leave the squares on the work surface or place them on a baking sheet while you finish the rest of the dough.
You can start baking after letting them relax for about 15 minutes, or wait until you’ve finished all the dough.
7. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan and greased with a brush or paper towel.
8. To bake, start with the first square of msemen formed. Sprinkle with a little durum wheat flour to flatten slightly and place in the pan.
9. Turn over as soon as one side is golden brown to brown the other.
10. For perfect cooking and browning, turn them over several times, first one side, then the other. This allows the layer to develop.
Msemen (preparation steps in pictures)
Msemens stuffed with minced meat and cheese
Prepare the filling and let it cool before preparing the dough.
1. Sauté the chopped onion in a bit of olive oil, then add the bell pepper. Season with salt and cook until they become translucent.
2. Add the ground meat, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. Stir in the parsley and harissa. Continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated and only the oil remains. Let it cool completely.
3. Take the other half of the dough out of the fridge, make balls the size of small peach and start making your msemens, following the folding instructions above at first. Then stuff and fold them using the following method.
4. Place a little stuffing with a portion of cheese on top in the center of the resulting msemens squares. Fold each corner of the square to cover the stuffing. Hold the center with an olive.
5. Bake the stuffed msemens on a buttered baking sheet in a preheated oven at 200°C (392°F) , until golden brown.
Black Olives and Oregano Msemens
Prepare them in the same way as plain msemens,
1. Place a small amount of olive tapenade in the center of the rolled-out dough disc. Fold one side of the dough over the filling, then fold the other side over to form a long rectangle.
2. Fold one side of the rectangle towards the middle to cover the filling. Turn over, then fold the other side to form a square. For greater clarity, see the photos below.
Msemmen (preparation and cooking steps)
I hope you’ll enjoy these msemens and want to make them.
Homemade Moroccan Msemen : Flaky Skillet Flatbread
Ingredients :
For msemens dough
- 1/2 kg (17.6 oz) t45, t55, or all-purpose flour
- 150 g (5.3 oz) durum wheat flour or extra fine semolina
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of baker's yeast to be added at the end of kneading (optional)
- Water enough to knead the dough
- A pinch of vanilla to be added to the classic msemen dough after dividing the dough optional
- 1/2 bowl durum wheat flour or extra fine semolina mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking powder to sprinkle between the layers
- 1 bowl mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil for layering or a mixture of melted butter and oil, or just melted butter according to your taste
For the fillings
- For Ground Beef and Cheese Msemens
- 1 onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 yellow or green bell pepper
- 250 g (8.8 oz) ground beef
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- Salt
- Harissa cayenne pepper, or Tabasco
- Sandwich cheese slices
- A few black olives for decoration
- For Black Olive and Oregano Msemens
- Some black olives preferably wrinkled, crushed with a fork
- A bit of oregano
Instructions :
- NB: The quantity of msemens will depend on the size of the dough balls to form larger or smaller squares.
The msemens dough
- Mix flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, then combine with water to form a ball.
- Add the water gradually to obtain a dough that you can knead, but which should not be too soft.
- Knead well, adding water as you go to soften the dough. You can use a stand mixer if you prefer.
- Knead the dough for at least 15 minutes. Dilute the baker's yeast with a spoonful of water and stir into the dough while continuing to knead a little. The dough should be soft and elastic.
- Take half the dough for the classic msemens and stir in the vanilla diluted in a spoonful of water.
- The addition of vanilla is not essential, it's up to your taste.
- If you want to make only classic msemens, mix the vanilla with the flour at the beginning of the kneading process.
- Wrap the other half in cling film and refrigerate.
Preparing classic msemens
- Shape into balls the size of small peach. Coat with oil and sprinkle with a mixture of durum wheat flour and baking powder. Start making your msemens by following the steps below.
- You can see the process in images within the article.
- Roll out a dough ball into a thin circle on the oiled work surface.
- Sprinkle with the mixture of durum wheat flour and baking powder, then fold one side to the center and the other side over it to form a long rectangle.
- Fold one side to the center, then fold the other side over to form a square.
- Brush oil between each fold and lightly sprinkle with the mixture of flour and baking powder.
- Leave the squares on the work surface or place them on a baking sheet while you finish the rest of the dough.
- You can start baking after letting them relax for about 15 minutes, or wait until you've finished all the dough.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan and greased with a brush or paper towel.
- To bake, start with the first square of msemen formed. Sprinkle with a little durum wheat flour to flatten slightly and place in the pan.
- Turn over as soon as one side is golden brown to brown the other.
- For perfect cooking and browning, turn them over several times, first one side, then the other. This allows the layer to develop.
The fillings
- Ground Beef and Cheese Msemens
- Prepare the filling and let it cool before preparing the dough.
- Sauté the chopped onion in a bit of olive oil, then add the bell pepper. Season with salt and cook until they become translucent.
- Add the ground meat, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. Stir in the parsley and harissa. Continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated and only the oil remains. Let it cool completely.
- Take the other half of the dough out of the fridge, make balls the size of small peach and start making your msemens, following the folding instructions above at first. Then stuff and fold them using the following method.
- Place a little stuffing with a portion of cheese on top in the center of the resulting msemens squares. Fold each corner of the square to cover the stuffing. Hold the center with an olive.
- Bake the stuffed msemens on a buttered baking sheet in a preheated oven at 200°C (392°F) , until golden brown.
- Black Olives and Oregano Msemens
- Prepare them in the same way as plain msemens,
- Place a small amount of olive tapenade in the center of the rolled-out dough disc. Fold one side of the dough over the filling, then fold the other side over to form a long rectangle.
- Fold one side of the rectangle towards the middle to cover the filling. Turn over, then fold the other side to form a square. For greater clarity, see the photos below.
- I hope you'll enjoy these msemens and want to make them.
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