Baghrir
My husband and I visited Fes, Morocco last June. Of course I swooned over the food. At breakfast, without ordering them, these beautiful holey pancakes appeared in front of me, served with butter and honey, shown below. They were light and delicious. After getting home, I vowed to make these pancakes, called baghrir.
The recipe I used is from a Turkish food blog called A Kitchen in Istanbul. If you are interested in Turkish food or already love it, Vidar Bergum’s blog is for you.
After I decided to make baghrir and use this recipe, my exceptional and creative cook and virtual friend David published his recipe at his wonderful blog Cocoa and Lavender. He and his husband had just spent 3 weeks in Morocco. How lovely.
David’s pancakes look just like Bergum’s, but unfortunately mine did not. The pancake itself is the same but I followed the directions to the T and mine ended up with giant holes! I even tried another heat setting. Nonetheless, they are delicious.
Baghrir
printable recipe below
1 cup fine semolina
Scant 1/2 cup plain all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
17 ounces lukewarm water
2 tsp baking powder
A little butter, for greasing the pan
Honey butter (optional)
1 ounce honey
1 ounce butter
Add the semolina, flour, sugar, yeast, salt and water in a blender. Blend until the batter is completely smooth, 4–5 minutes. Pour into a jug and stir in the baking powder. Leave for 30 minutes.
What I didn’t think about is how the batter is bubbling because of the two leavening agents. So, it overflowed my jug!
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium. Lightly brush with butter. Pour circles of batter into the pan. You may make them as large or small as you wish — I make three at a time in my 11” pan. Cook until the surface is set and riddled with holes, 1–2 minutes.
Don’t flip the pancakes! Transfer to a rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing minimally and only if needed.
To make the honey butter, gently melt the honey and butter together in a small saucepan set over low heat. Serve the pancakes warm with the honey butter on the side. (I served them separately which was my experience in Morocco.)
Note: don’t stack pancakes until they’re cooled off. Also, don’t make batter ahead of time – it will taste too fermented.
Baghrir
1 cup fine semolina
Scant 1/2 cup plain all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.7 ounces lukewarm water
2 tsp baking powder
A little butter, for greasing the pan
Honey butter (optional)
1 ounce honey
1 ounce butter
Add the semolina, flour, sugar, yeast, salt and water in a blender. Blend until the batter is completely smooth, 4–5 minutes. Pour into a jug and stir in the baking powder. Leave for 30 minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium. Lightly brush with butter. Pour circles of batter into the pan. You may make them as large or small as you wish—I make three at a time in my 28 cm (11 in) pan. Cook until the surface is set and riddled with holes, 1–2 minutes. Don’t flip the pancakes! Transfer to a rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing minimally and only if needed.
To make the honey butter, gently melt the honey and butter together in a small saucepan set over low heat.
Serve the pancakes warm with the honey butter on the side.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
I stayed in Fez a number of years ago. It’s an amazing place, isn’t it? These pancakes sound great for breakfast. I’m glad yours were delicious even if the holes bigger than you wanted.
The taste is definitely the same. They’re delicious! Yes, Morocco in general is beautiful. I want to see Marrakech.
You must go to Marrakesh. I’ve been a couple of times and loved it. Last time I did a cookery course one day which was fun.
Oh good to know! We took one in Fes that was really fun.
These look and sound delicious, Mimi I have image just like yours of an overflowing measuring jug when I made crumpets for the first time…I also popped over to Cocoa and Lavender what a lovely blog some great recipes .
Ha! I’ve never made crumpets but when I do I’ll be careful! Cocoa and Lavender is a wonderful blog.
I saw these pancakes in David’s blog too. Yours look kinda dramatic and beautiful!
Thanks! They definitely tasted the same!
I think both your baghrir and David’s look great!! Barb
Thanks, Barb! But you can see the difference!
Looks aren’t everything as long as a recipe tastes good. I think your baghrir look great :)
You so right, and thanks!
I love the method used here…so unique!
They’re really spongy and good!
WOW, these look great and fun. Will definitely give these a go. 😂
Be prepared to eat them all!!!
Thank you so much for the shoutout and link! As you know, I love these breads — I am sorry your holes were too big but, honestly, they look like they were really good. And I bet they tasted amazing. I like that you made the honey butter — that is a great idea. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stop thinking about our trip. Aside from the baghrir, I loved the batbout — they called them pitas but they were much more like really tender English muffins.
Of course! Yours were so perfect looking! But mine were delicious and the same texture. It is too bad that we missed each other!
Maybe our paths WILL cross someday… :)
Yes!
Am smiling ! Difficult to say anything new and sensible after you and David knowledgeably talking ! I noticed Carol using the term ‘crumpets’ – that was the first thought I had looking at yours . . . tho’ our super popular crumpets are a tad thinner. Morocco is still in my dreams but your baghrir look very, very inviting !
The difference, although I’m not a crumpet expert, is that the baghrir are soft and spongey. I hope you get to Morocco!
These look amazing and I would devour a decent lot of them right now!
Well that’s kinda what I did! They’re so good!
Interesting that you don’t flip them. They look great!
Maybe cooking on both sides keeps the baghrir from being spongey!
These look like great fun to make, as long as your container is big enough!
So true!
Love all of those nooks and crannies. I have not had baghrir before but excited to give it a try. Almost like a pancake but with the nooks and crannies of an english muffin. Perks of both combined into one. Take Care
Yes! Similar holes but these pancakes are soft and spongy. I hope you try them!
Yeasted pancakes? That sounds delicious! I’m not familiar with these, but I certainly wouldn’t mind giving them a try.
They’re very good and have a wonderful unique texture!
I am so glad yours tasted delicious and looks be damned, haha. I had noted a recipe by Paula Wolfert, years go … I wonder if they are basically the same? https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/semolina-pancakes
They do look the same!
That post made me smile (I need it specially at these times), those giant holes actually give your baghrir so much character, and honestly they still look incredibly inviting. Now I’m tempted to try making these myself and just embrace whatever hole pattern I end up with.
Well I’m so glad. Hang in there, as we Americans say…
This is something that I have never heard of and thank you for teaching me about it. I’ve never been to Morocco, but it must be amazing!
It really was amazing! For so many reasons.