Khobz
A Moroccan round wheat bread with a firm crust and coarse interior; this home formula makes two 8-inch loaves for serving with meals.
Batbout
mkhamer · toghrift
A Moroccan yeast-raised semolina pocket bread cooked on a dry pan or griddle; this measured batch makes about twenty 4-inch rounds.
A Moroccan stovetop pocket bread
Batbout is a soft, chewy Moroccan bread that cooks on a pan or griddle. Christine Benlafquih describes it as a semolina-rich pocket bread, eaten with fillings or alongside a meal; butter, honey, jam and other spreads are also common accompaniments in the page's examples. The home formula below yields about twenty 4-inch rounds.
The writer notes regional and family variation in the names and method. Some families use `mkhamer` for batbout; others use it for an oiled-pan or laminated bread, or a thicker loaf without a pocket. The page also mentions `matlou‘`, a name that appears on a separate Algerian archive candidate. That overlap alone does not establish that the records describe the same preparation, so they are kept separate here.
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Dough and shaping
The measured formula blends white flour, durum flour or fine semolina, and whole-wheat flour. Yeast is first mixed with a teaspoon of the listed sugar and a little warm water, then left until foamy. The flours, remaining sugar and salt are combined separately before oil, water and yeast mixture are added. Knead to a smooth, supple dough that is not sticky; the recipe allows small flour or water adjustments as needed.
Divide the dough into plum-sized balls and let them rest, covered, for 10–15 minutes. Roll each into a thin round about 1/8 inch thick, then cover the rounds while they rise for about an hour or a little longer, until light and puffy. Keeping the dough covered and moving it gently helps prevent a dry surface and tears that could interfere with puffing.
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Fast griddle cooking
Preheat a large pan or griddle over medium heat for several minutes, until very hot. Transfer the dough carefully in batches. Turn each round once it has set, about 10–15 seconds, before bubbles appear; then continue turning gently several times until it puffs and browns on both sides. The page gives no numeric surface temperature. It advises lowering the heat if the rounds brown too quickly.
Puffing is not guaranteed. Thin, even rounds and gentle handling support pocket formation, while cracks can let air escape or deflate the dough. If a thicker round does not puff, the author says it may be opened gently for filling. Move cooked breads to a rack or towel-lined basket. Freeze them once completely cool; no room-temperature storage duration is supplied.
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Food handling and evidence limits
Flour is raw and may carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste uncooked dough; keep flour and dough away from ready-to-eat food, then wash hands and clean tools and surfaces that touched it. The pan or griddle is hot, and the recipe specifically cautions that escaping steam can burn when cracks open during turning or transfer.
The inspected recipe gives one complete 20-round home method and identifies it as Moroccan. It does not date batbout's first attestation, define one national formula for every similarly named bread, or establish a numeric griddle temperature. The measured batch is preserved as written rather than scaled.
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History
Christine Benlafquih describes batbout as a Moroccan semolina-rich stovetop pocket bread and notes that names, pan treatment, and thickness vary by region and family. The page mentions matlou‘ as a name used by some families, but does not establish that it is identical to the separately catalogued Algerian Matlou‘ entry. No first attestation or single origin is dated.
Ingredients
Yield 20 4-inch batbout · Scaling: source batch only
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Use 1 teaspoon of this amount to proof the yeast; add the rest with the dry ingredients.710 mL3 cup as recorded
473 mL2 cup as recorded
Choose durum flour or fine semolina.237 mL1 cup as recorded
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
44 mL3 tbsp as recorded
Choose olive oil or vegetable oil.473 mL2 cup as recorded
Approximate amount; add enough to make a soft, manageable dough.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and dough
Uncooked flour may carry harmful bacteria.
Hazard sourceHot pan and escaping steam
The recipe warns that burns can occur when hot steam escapes through cracks as the bread is turned or moved.
Hazard sourceCook the bread before eating; keep raw flour and dough away from ready-to-eat food, then wash hands and clean utensils and work surfaces.
Control sourceTurn and transfer the bread carefully, keeping hands clear of hot steam escaping from cracks.
Control sourceDo not taste raw dough. Use care around the hot pan or griddle and steam escaping from cracked bread.
- Mix the yeast with 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a little warm water. Set aside until foamy.
- Combine the flours, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the oil, remaining warm water, and yeast mixture.
- Stir until a dough forms. Knead by hand on a floured surface or with a mixer and dough hook until smooth and supple but not sticky. Add flour or water in small increments as needed for a soft, manageable dough.
- Shape portions into smooth balls about the size of plums. Set them at least 1 inch apart on a lightly floured surface, cover with a towel, and rest 10 to 15 minutes.
- Dust the work surface with flour or fine semolina. Roll each ball into a thin round about 1/8 inch thick. Place the rounds on a cotton sheet or towel, cover, and rise for about 1 hour or a little longer, until light and puffy.
- Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat for several minutes until very hot. Transfer the rounds carefully in batches. Turn each one gently as soon as it sets, about 10 to 15 seconds, before bubbles appear on the surface.
- Continue cooking, turning each round gently several more times, until it puffs and browns on both sides.
- Transfer the cooked breads to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool. Freeze completely cooled batbout for storage.
Conditions
Yield20 4-inch batbout
Active time20 min
Fermentationfrom 1.25 h
Places
Morocco
Documented preparation · Country evidenceChristine Benlafquih identifies this semolina-rich stovetop pocket bread as Moroccan batbout. Names and methods vary by region and family; this row does not claim one birthplace for related breads.
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Sources
Taste of MarocInspiration · Method · Geography
Batbout - Moroccan Pita Bread RecipeMeasured formula and yield of 20 four-inch rounds; dough mixing, kneading, rest and proof, pan/griddle method and visual cues; naming variation, Moroccan cuisine, use and freezer note; risk from steam escaping through cracks.
Cited in: A Moroccan stovetop pocket bread; Dough and shaping; Fast griddle cooking; Food handling and evidence limits
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowFlour is raw and may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw flour or dough; cook and clean hands, utensils and surfaces after handling.
Cited in: Food handling and evidence limits