Moroccan Pancakes

Moroccan Pancakes
Peter DaSilva for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(61)
Comments
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Mourad Lahlou, the chef of Aziza in San Francisco, has invented entirely new breads like harissa-spiked rolls, grilled semolina flatbreads and these delicate lacy pancakes (beghrir) made with almond flour. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Two Directions for Moroccan Cuisine

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 2teaspoons (6 grams) dry yeast
  • ½teaspoon (2 grams) sugar
  • 1cup (113 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½cup (70 grams) semolina flour
  • ½cup (100 grams) almond flour
  • 1teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • teaspoon ground turmeric (optional; for color)
  • 2teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder
  • 1cup whole milk, warmed
  • Honey
  • Unsalted butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

247 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 214 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a bowl, combine yeast and sugar. Stir in ¼ cup warm water and let it rest about 10 minutes, until bubbling. In another bowl, combine the three flours, salt and turmeric (if using) and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, combine baking powder and 3 tablespoons warm water, stirring to dissolve. Pour into a blender and add 1½ cups warm water, the milk and the yeast mixture. Blend on low speed just to combine. With the blender running, gradually add the dry ingredients.

  3. Step 3

    Pour batter into a bowl, cover with a towel and set aside at least 1½ hours, until doubled in size and very bubbly. Batter can be used immediately or refrigerated overnight.

  4. Step 4

    When ready to cook, stir to deflate. Batter should be a little thicker than heavy cream; thin with warm water if necessary. Heat a heavy nonstick (or very well seasoned cast-iron) skillet over medium heat. (If you have a nonstick pan for silver dollar pancakes, use that.) Pour ¼ cup batter into the pan (or, for silver-dollar size, a heaping tablespoon). Cook at a very gentle sizzle for about 3 minutes, until the top is covered with holes and completely set; the bottom should be golden and lacy. Repeat with remaining batter.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, combine equal amounts of honey and butter in a small microwaveable pitcher or bowl. Heat until hot, smooth and pourable; thin with warm water if necessary.

  6. Step 6

    Serve pancakes immediately, with hot honey-butter mixture. Or slide onto a baking sheet covered with a kitchen towel and top with another towel to keep warm. Cooled pancakes can be briefly reheated in microwave.

Ratings

4 out of 5
61 user ratings
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Comments

I have a similar recipe for Morrocan pancakes. It calls for 1 3/4 cup semolina flour, 1/3 cup flour, and uses water instead of milk. The method using a blender to work the gluten is the same. The result is delightful. So simply replace the almond flour with semolina and let us know!

YUM! If left in a warm spot batter is ready in 30 min. These taste like crumpets and/or English muffins. The hotter the pan the better the "honeycomb" from my experience. Leftovers great for grilled cheese!

rose nicely, looked great, i have put it in fridge (as suggested as an option) to make in the morning. do not put in the fridge! totally ruined my batter. coming out from the fridge, it was all flat and watery, wasn't possible to make the pancakes, waist of time and ingredients.

start w 3/4 c water, don't bother almond flour, just increase semolina; thin to correct consistency after rise. oil skillet every few pancakes. roll out to circumference of pan (I'm using baby round bottom cast iron) - like a crepe. pancake needs to be quite thin to achieve desired effect - and so you can roll & dip it properly in honey butter. feel like sourdough could be great addition to get a slightly sourer taste, just faintly reminiscent of injera...

Great recipe. I added 200 g of sourdough levain that had been sitting on the counter a few days as I didn’t want to waste it. Added finely diced shallots, green chilies and cilantro. Turned out to be a delicate and stunning yeasty Dosa. Definite keeper!

This recipe make the batter too thin. I had to add more flour. Recommend not adding the 1.5 cup water. Mix with everything else and then add water as needed. 0.5 cup may be enough.

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Credits

Adapted from “Mourad: New Moroccan” by Mourad Lahlou (Artisan)

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