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Moroccan Bread Recipe: Traditional Khobz

I don’t know if there’s anything more Moroccan than a round loaf of bread.

Nope. There’s not.

Let’s just say no one in Morocco is going to be doing the Paleo diet anytime soon. Bread is so prevalent and ingrained (haha ingrained) in Moroccan culture my husband can not eat a meal without it. And before you say wait, well he CAN he just doesn’t want to – no he really can not.

I used to make Moroccan bread almost every day when we got married – kneading it and all. Then we got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and that made it a whole lot easier.

When we moved to Northern Virginia there was so much good bread at a cheap price that we would freeze and thaw bread instead of making it. I spent 2 1/2 years doing that and I really didn’t miss making bread! Now that we moved back to Wisconsin the kind of bread we like is much more expensive and not the same quality so it seems like I will be going back to baking bread again. (this original recipe is from 2009 – we now live in Morocco!)

In reality it’s pretty easy to make and I don’t mind doing it if I have a little extra time. It does dry out quickly so if you are making it to last more than a day, throw it in the freezer after it’s cooled (wrapped up of course).

 
How to Make Moroccan Bread (Khobz)

The fun thing about this bread is that it’s pretty forgiving.  You can use different kinds of flours, mixtures of flours, rising time and making it into different shapes.  Traditionally it is made into a round and there is some technique to making it the authentic way.

Traditional Moroccan Khobz
Yield: 3-4 Rounds

Traditional Moroccan Khobz

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

This is a recipe for traditional Moroccan round bread, also known as khobz. My recipe is made using only white flour however you can add in wheat flour as well. You will need to adjust the water levels a bit.

Ingredients

  • 4c and a little extra white flour - do not use self rising flour! ( you can also use wheat or half of each flour)
  • 2 c warm water
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast (or 1 pkg of Red Star or like brand)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

In a small bowl add yeast, sugar and 1c warm water. Mix well and allow yeast to bubble.

In a large bowl add flour and salt. After yeast/water mixture begins to bubble pour into bowl with flour. Begin combining flour and water.

Have another cup of warm water to the side and add slowly to flour mixture. You may not use the entire cup.

Continue combining flour and water until you can form a ball. At this point it should be a bit sticky.

Pour vegetable oil into your hands and proceeds to work it into the dough. Again you may not use a full 1/4 cup.

Most of the dough should come off of your hands and combine into the dough that will be elastic but no longer sticky.

Knead for 8-10 minutes. You can do this by hand or in a mixer - if using a mixer reduce the time to approximately 5 minutes.

Oil the ball and the bowl and cover. Allow to rest 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 2-3 portions depending on the size of the bread you would like.

Using the divided pieces form 2-3 smaller balls.

Sprinkle flour on a board or counter-top and begin to push down the ball beginning in the center, similar to how you would form a pizza crust. Moroccan bread is traditionally in a circle shape however whatever shape you make it will not really matter!

The dough should be about 1/4" thick and even on all sides.

Wrap in a towel and continue for the remainder of the portions.

Allow dough to rise about 45 minutes. Preheat the over to 400-425F.

Once dough has risen prick with a from several times and place on a cookie sheet or baking stone into the oven.

Cook until it begins to brown and makes a hallow sound when tapped - about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Moroccan Cooking Inspiration

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Robert

Friday 22nd of December 2023

Hi Amanda, Can you use a sourdough starter instead of the yeast. I have tried but it seems to not rise at all and create air pockets

Amanda Mouttaki

Friday 22nd of December 2023

I've never tried it with sourdough but you could give it a shot!

Courtney

Sunday 15th of October 2023

I just made this and it came out hard as a rock. Not burnt either. Don’t know what I did wrong and I followed the recipe.

Amanda Mouttaki

Wednesday 18th of October 2023

i'm sorry it didn't turn out for you. My guess is that the dough needs to be kneaded longer (it's often a culprit), it's also possible there was more water needed. Bread can be tricky depending on elevation, the actual type of wheat, water and several other factors.

Stacey Finckbone

Wednesday 22nd of February 2023

I will be grateful for this when my Moroccan husband gets here in the states. I have tried to find bread close to what they have there but can’t. These is also a dish I would love to know how to make. Was goat meat like a bone in roast, had prunes and onions and they put hard boiled eggs when it was done. It was one of my favorites when we were in Saidia.

Jonelle Hockenberry

Saturday 26th of August 2023

@Stacey Finckbone, this is an absolute favorite of mine too.

Amanda Mouttaki

Friday 10th of March 2023

This is the base recipe for what you likely had. Sometimes boiled eggs are added on top and it's made with goat too - https://marocmama.com/beef-tajine-with-prunes/

Cherrie

Wednesday 10th of November 2021

what is the active dry yeast called in casablanca? I can find yeast but dont know the name for active dry yeast

Amanda Mouttaki

Thursday 11th of November 2021

you can buy both wet and dry yeast in Morocco. The wet yeast is sold in grocery stores (and some hanuts) in the fridge or freezer. Dry yeast usually comes in a vacuum-sealed pack. It's red with a little cartoony chef on it and called saf-instant. It's not double-acting yeast like exists in the US so it may need to rest longer.

Peg

Saturday 21st of March 2020

How I loved the bread in Morocco,how I loved Morocco, Happy memories now in lockdown, cannot eat wheat...though I did in Morocco..buckwheat flour is the only flour I could get here..shops empty.

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