These warm, fragrant loaves bring Moroccan flavor to any meal.
Karin’s stay in a beautiful eco-lodging high up in the Moroccan mountains, and Tafline’s intrepid hike up and down them, inspired me to find particularly Moroccan recipe. And I find that this flatbread, perfumed with anise and sesame seeds, puts dreams of Morocco in my head with every mouthful. Tear chunks off the warm loaves and eat it like that for maximum exotic-dreams effect.
Moroccan Anise Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 1 cube fresh yeast
1- 1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds
2 teaspoon salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Semolina or corn meal for sprinkling on baking sheet
| Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the water. Add the sugar or honey and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the remaining water, oil, anise, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Gradually stir in the remaining flour until the mixture holds together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Shape each piece into a ball, cover, and let rest for about 10 minutes. Grease the baking sheet and sprinkle it with semolina or corn meal. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet and with your palms, flatten each into a 9-inch disk. Cover, and let rise 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F – 220 C. Prick the dough around the sides with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops Bake until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped, about 30 minutes. |
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.