Last updated on October 23rd, 2017
We had our first autumn frost last night. Hooray – it’s time to fire up the oven and bake some bread! What kind of bread? Well, I’ve already produced step-by-step recipes for French baguettes, Pain de Mie, Challah, Crusty Sourdough, and other classic loaves. Today, I think we should make a yeasty, sesame-topped orb known as “Khobz.”
Khobz is a traditional Moroccan bread, served at every meal. The round loaf has a crisp crust and a soft, chewy interior. It’s firm enough for sandwiches, and spongy enough for dipping in olive oil. It’s a fast-and-easy bread to make. Rise time for the dough is just 1 hour.
Shall we make this Moroccan magic together? Here’s the photographic step-by-step, followed by a printable recipe:To start, stir 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast into 1/4 cup warm (about 110°F) water.
Let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until it foams. Foamy yeast is active yeast.
Then tip 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour into the work bowl of a standing mixer…
And whisk in 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
Now add the yeast mixture…
And 1 cup of warm (again, about 110°F) water.
Attach the dough hook to your standing mixer (if you are not mixing and kneading by hand)…
And let the machine mix and knead the dough at medium-low speed for about 6 minutes.
When the dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky to the touch, it’s good to go.
Form the dough into a ball, and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Then cut the dough in half…
And form each half into smooth balls.
Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of your hand…
And loosely cover the baking sheet with a floured towel or a piece of greased or non-stick-sprayed plastic wrap.
This next step is very important: Let the dough rest (to relax the gluten) for exactly 10 minutes.
After the 10-minute rest, flatten each ball into round, 1-inch-thick disks.
This next step is entirely up to you: Sprinkle the dough with chopped herbs or sesame seeds…
And gently press them into the dough.
Cover as before, and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume — about 1 hour. As you can see, my “warm place” is a common heating pad, obtained from a common drug store.
When the disks have doubled in volume, create steam vents by either piercing the dough in 5 places with the tip of a knife…
Or by scoring a cross into the top.
Pop the baking sheet into a preheated 425°F oven, and bake until the crust is golden brown, and the bread sounds hollow when rapped with the knuckles — about 25 minutes.
If you’d like to freeze the Khobz, let it come to room temperature first. Then wrap it tightly, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Good news: We’re not freezing our Khobz today. We’re eating it while it’s still hot from the oven!
You’ll find the crust is crackling crisp when the bread is warm. You might like to peel off the crust, and enjoy it all by itself.
Then you can dip the soft interior into some fruity (and admittedly very expensive) extra-virgin olive oil.
Do give this Moroccan classic a try. Again, it’s an EASY bread to make!
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Here’s the printable:
A staple in Morocco, this bread has a crisp crust and soft, chewy interior. Use it for sandwiches, or tear it into pieces for dipping in good olive oil.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- Optional: a sprinkling of sesame seeds or fresh, finely-chopped herbs
Instructions
- Let the yeast/water mixture stand in a warm location until foamy -- about 10 minutes. Whisk the flour and salt together in the work-bowl of a standing mixer. Then add the yeast mixture and warm water. Knead, at medium-low speed, until the a smooth, elastic dough develops -- about 6 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and then cut the ball in half. Form each half into smooth balls. Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of your hand, leaving a 2-inch space between each disk of dough. Loosely cover the dough with a floured towel or a piece of greased or non-stick-sprayed plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then flatten the dough into round, 1-inch-thick disks. Press sesame seeds or chopped herbs into the top of the disks, if desired. Then cover again with the towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm location until doubled in volume -- about 1 hour.
- Center the oven rack, and preheat the oven to 425°F. To create steam vents, either score a cross into the top of each disk, or pierce them in 5 places with the tip of a knife. Bake until the crust turns golden brown, and the bread sounds hollow when rapped with the knuckles -- about 25 minutes. Serve warm, or cool to room temperature before wrapping and storing the bread in the freezer.
Kim says
This looks very like the ‘stotty cake’ from my childhood, made in the north east of England. No sesame or herbs on those though!
I will give this recipe a try and see if it compares well .
Brenda Johnson says
I know nothing about Morocco- but their bread is wonderful!!!! I popped a loaf of this bread into the oven (350 degrees for about 10 minutes) to “recrisp” as directed by Kevin, and out came “freshly baked” bread! Crisp crunchy crust, soft lovely inside…. we enjoyed it with butter, as an accompaniment to bowls of soup on a cool evening- perfect! (and before we knew it 1/2 the loaf was gone!!!) I had some toasted for breakfast this morning- als0 wonderful!!! (perhaps a sandwich for lunch with the last of it?!) Thanks so much for sharing this versatile bread Kevin!!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Brenda – So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Deirdre Smith says
Looks great. Will try with half ww pastry flour.
Kathy Keating says
Have you considered sprinkling coarse salt on top before baking?
I might try it.
John says
Mmmm, looks good! I might try it replacing half the white flour with whole wheat.
Kim Murphy says
This sounds so yummy I am planning on giving it a try after making a batch of my Blackberry/Apple jelly this afternoon. Bet they will be tasty together. Yum Yum.
On a side note, I am so happy to hear I can find a ‘common heating pad’ at my nearby ‘common drug store’. I was not looking forward to going out and hunting down a ‘wild’ one in my nearby woods! (the heating pad is a super great idea for a warm spot, wishing I would have thought of it myself)
Margi Whitright says
We’re going to see if this will be good for the Farmer’s Market Christmas Sale Day next month. Maybe make it instead of focaccia.
Marsha says
That common heating pad…what’s a good setting for the heat?
Bette Hanauer says
I haven’t baked bread in years. Kids are grown and mostly just cooking for two these days, bu this recipe looks so uncomplicated and delicious that I will try baking bread again for guests this weekend.
JOCELYN RILEY says
We’re having to cut down on salt. Would leaving out the salt affect the quality?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Jocelyn – Beyond the flavor it contributes, salt plays 3 important roles in bread-making. It affects dough texture, reduces oxidation during mixing/kneading, and regulates yeast activity. I used only the barest minimum of salt in the above recipe.
Catherine says
Looks good must try this. Thanks for sharing.
Carolyn says
It looks great but I have an allergy to gluten.
Do you know of another flour combo I might
try ? Thanks!
Priscilla Moody says
This looks great! I don’t have a bread hook but would be happy to kneed by hand. Still, I’m a novice and am not sure how long or hard to kneed. Any guidance you can give?
Diane says
Hi Kevin,
What good olive oil do you use? This bread looks like it’s doable for me, something I’ve never attempted before.
Thank you
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I’ll be asking my husband to try this one. I am so busy outside in the garden and he’ll be able to work on this lovely sequence of steps without my help. Gorgeous, mouth watering results in your photos.
Arvind says
Hello kavin , good morning . Mr kavin need your help making to bread toast honey .
Regards
Arvind
India New Delhi
Julie R says
I want to make this bread, but just wondering if it will turn out as good without using a stand mixer. It looks so simple with so few ingredients that it looks like it is worth a try. I like the idea of dipping this bread in olive oil, yum !
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Priscilla and Julie R – Very easy to mix/knead Khobz by hand. Knead until you achieve a smooth, elastic, and non-sticky dough — 15-20 minutes. Enjoy the bread!
Tammy says
Kevin, I just made this bread to go with our dinner of ginger carrot soup and a salad. It’s fantastic! I love how delicious it is and how easy it was to make. It’s going in my “greatest hits” file. Thank you for such a fab recipe…again.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Tammy – Thanks for the heads-up. So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Doreen Quaglietta says
Really excited about your creation to be released this week! Your work is so creative and has started me cooking , gardening and being enthused about keeping my home again. I am an 87 year old Canadian transplant who has done all these things. Through your eyes and your excitement for life and beautiful things I am enjoying homemaking and gardening again. I set them aside for a long successful career. What a joy you are ! Thank you Kevin for being a very talented you and sharing this part of your life with us.
Lee says
I don’t have a stand mixer ;-((( Can this be made by hand? I suppose not everyone in Morocco has a stand mixer.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Lee – You can absolutely mix and knead this bread entirely by hand. Enjoy!
Z says
Re: Recipies for
Tomato Pineapple Chutney
I’ve been searching for Very Long Time & Everywhere for recipies for this delightfully, full flavored chutney I had an occasion to taste years ago at a gathering I attended. It was made by a woman who brought a jar that was sampled & shared w/ her cheeseboard & other apps that went well with it.
Time grew short and I was unable to learn Anything else about it. I was ditting at the wrong end of the confetence table to get more than a bite to try & analyze the flavors etc. to determine the recipe for myself. I’ve also Never seen or heard about it again. I’ve looked it up under everything I coyld think of from southern style chutneys to East & West Indian, European along with Middle Eastern sites. The trouble is that it’s rare to get many recipies. It seems to me that culturally, everyone seems to post more versions of more of the same recipies in many cases.
Have you heard of this chutney or perhaps been fortunate enough to have had it? It was a wonderful mix of flavors. I keep hoping I’ll write someone such as yourself who has access or knows how to find this unforgetably delicious condiment. I would love to find a close recipe and am willing to try some out to find the right one or just another good one. I can think of a number of great ways to try it out that I think I would be pleased to have.
I woyld appreciate your feedback and any knowledge or help you might be able to offer. So far I’ve found no one who knows or who has replied if they do know.
Thank you.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Z – I’ve not tasted Tomato Pineapple Chutney. It does sound wonderful. Sorry I don’t have a recipe for you!
Deena says
Hi Kevin ,
Made your Homemade Hamburger Buns yesterday they came out awesome,everyone loved it ! Thank you for the recipe!
Deena
Lynn Bean says
To Z. I’ve not heard of tomato and pineapple chutney but tomato and pineapple jam is quite common here in Australia. It’s basically made like any jam – fruit, sugar, water. I guess you could add some spices to turn it into more of a savoury chutney. There are a few basic recipes on the internet.