We have just enjoyed the most unbelievable tour of Morocco. I look forward to writing about our experience and sharing our adventures and images here with you very soon but for now, I cannot get this bread off my mind and so I have made some again this morning and wanted to share the recipe with you.
This here is Berber bread. It is called Tafarnout bread and it is cooked over coals in a traditional clay oven. The first time I enjoyed this was with fresh goats curd and honey in one of our cooking class. We ate many wonderful things this particular tour but this meal and the enjoyment of this simple bread with the honey & cheese is up there with the best of them. The second time we enjoyed it was for breakfast in the Agafay desert. We made it for each other and enjoyed it simply and on its own. It was fabulous.
It is a mix of 50% flour, 50% semolina, yeast, a good pinch salt, a little sugar and enough water to make a dough. Not having my Berber clay oven handy ???? this morning,I cooked the bread in a frying pan with a little olive oil. I also added just a little olive oil to the dough mix when combining.
Enjoy it on its own or with great quality goats cheese & honey. What a memory to bring back home & keep on enjoying. I hope you enjoy this simple bread also.
Love Nellie
x
Tafarnout bread
1 x 7g active dried yeast
1-2 teaspoons of caster sugar
100g plain flour
100g semolina
A good pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil plus a little extra if cooking in a frying pan
120ml warm water
Place the yeast in a small bowl and add just a couple of tablespoons of the warm water. Mix together. Wait 10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
In another bowl, mix the sugar, flour, semolina and salt. Add the yeast mix as well as the remaining warm water and olive oil.
Use your hands to form a sticky dough. If you feel it is a little too sticky, add just a small amount of flour. The dough is supposed to be quite sticky so avoid adding too much. Lightly dust your bench top or work surface with a little semolina and knead the dough for 10 minutes or so. It is ready when it is smooth and elastic and bounces back to the touch. Divide into two equal balls and allow to rest, covered for one hour.
These can be cooked in a clay oven, pizza oven or alternatively in a frying pan. Flatten the dough balls just a little using your hands. Add a little oil to the pan and when warm, cook the bread for a a few minutes each side until golden.
This bread is wonderful served warm and on the day that it is made.
2 thoughts on “Tafarnout bread – Bread from the Berber people”
I am fortunate to have a Berber Tafarnout oven being built on the property by Berber Mococcans. Looking forward to the bread!
Amazing! Enjoy Joe.