Semolina Pancakes

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Every morning, cafés in Marrakech serve these crêpes, called begrhir, drizzled with honey or spread with apricot jam. Cooking the crêpes on only one side leaves a lacy network of tiny holes, perfect for catching the sweet toppings; the fine semolina provides a lovely sandy texture. Paula Wolfert adapted this recipe from one in the book La Pâtisserie Marocaine by Rachida Amhaouche. More Recipes by Paula Wolfert

Semolina Pancakes
Photo: © Quentin Bacon
Total Time:
30 mins
Yield:
12 pancakes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups warm water

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 3/4 cups fine semolina (see Note)

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • Vegetable oil, for cooking

  • 1/3 cup honey, warmed

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the warm water with the baking powder. In a food processor, combine the semolina with the flour, yeast, sugar and the remaining 2 3/4 cups of warm water; process for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add the salt and baking powder mixture and process for 30 seconds longer. Pour the batter into a large bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

  2. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet and coat it with a thin layer of vegetable oil. In a small bowl, blend the honey with the melted butter. Whisk the batter until creamy. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter into the skillet, tilting the skillet to distribute it evenly. Cook the pancake over moderate heat until bubbles appear all over the surface and the bottom is pale golden, about 2 minutes. Shake the skillet to loosen the pancake, then slide the pancake onto a plate. Drizzle with the honey butter and serve right away. Repeat with more oil and the remaining batter and honey butter.

Notes

Fine semolina flour, sometimes also called extra-fancy durum flour, is available at Whole Foods and online at kingarthurflour.com.

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