Msemen, square shaped Moroccan Panacake

Step 1

Place the top 5 dry ingredients into a large, roomy bowl.

Step 2

Make a well in the centre and gradually pour about 250ml (1 cup) of the water in while mixing the flour with the water with your hand or in a mixer.

Step 3

Add a little more water, very little at a time, as you bring it all together with your hands. Be careful with the water, err on the side of caution and be stingy. You want a dough that feels dry and not at all sticky. If you've added too much water and the dough sticks to your hands, just add a little more flour.

Step 4

Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.

Step 5

Flour your hands and knead the dough for a good 5 minutes (I'm afraid so) until it's all smooth. Or 1 minute in a mixer. You'll start feeling the difference in texture very quickly on your hands. If you got the water balance right, the dough shouldn't stick and you shouldn't need much flour. If it's sticky, not the end of the world, just use a little more flour.

Step 6

Get a large baking sheet or tray and oil generously.

Step 7

With well oiled hands, divide your dough into 12 little balls and place them on the baking sheet.

Step 8

Cover with a damp tea towel and leave aside for 30 minutes to rest and proof. They will increase in size, so be sure to give some space between each ball.

Step 9

Mix the semolina and baking powder.

Step 10

Now comes the rather fun part! Oil your hands and work surface generously and start flattening the balls individually into the usual round shape with the palm of your hands or your fingers (see gallery above).

Step 11

Dot with butter, if using, and sprinkle with the semolina and baking powder mix. Fold one side in (first fold).

Step 12

Sprinkle semolina mix and fold the other side in.

Step 13

Sprinkle semolina mix and fold the two longer ends in as the pictures above, sprinkling semolina again before the final fold.

Step 14

Place back on the baking sheet and do the same with the other dough balls. You will need another baking sheet or tray for this step.

Step 15

When done, cover with damp tea towel again and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Step 16

When the time is up, take a square piece out and place it on your oiled work surface. Once again, using your hands pat down and out to enlarge the square to roughly about 2 times its previous size. If you're happy with how quickly this can be done, get 2-3 done then move on to the next step and start cooking. But if you'd rather, flatten them all out to cook first. Mind you, that'll be a lot of surface covered up by the unfried msemen!

Step 17

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a crêpe pan, flat Indian griddle (tawa) or an ordinary frying pan on medium high heat.

Step 18

Place one msemen on the pan and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping over at least twice on each side. Don't worry about any puffing up.

Step 19

To ensure even browning, take a clean tea towel, bunch it up and press down on the msemen for a few seconds, moving along the square bread. Or just use your spatula to press down.

Step 20

Halfway through, pour another tbsp of oil around the msemen.

Step 21

When done, turn out onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil and keep warm while you get the rest done, although in my house, they seem to disappear as quickly as I can cook them!

Step 22

Serve with some butter, honey and cream cheese. Traditionally, you'd break a piece off and dip into the honey, but hey, your casa, your rules!