🫓 Msemen
Msemen is a Moroccan square flatbread made from flour and semolina dough that is stretched paper-thin, brushed with butter, sprinkled with semolina and folded into layers before being pan-fried. It comes out flaky and crisp outside, soft and chewy inside. It is eaten warm at breakfast or with afternoon mint tea.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 150 g fine semolina
- 1 tsp salt
- About 250 ml warm water
- 60 g butter, melted
- 2 tbsp oil
Method
- Mix the flour, semolina, salt and water into a smooth, soft dough and knead for 10 minutes.
- Divide into 8 balls, oil them and rest for 15 minutes.
- On an oiled surface, stretch each ball very thin, brush with butter and sprinkle with a little semolina.
- Fold into a square: sides to the middle, then top and bottom to the middle; flatten gently.
- Cook in a dry or lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
How to make it lighter
- Brush with just a thin layer of butter between the folds — 1 tbsp butter ≈ 100 kcal.
- Cook in a non-stick pan with no extra oil.
- Have one msemen with mint tea and fresh fruit rather than adding honey or jam.
History
Msemen is a traditional bread of Morocco and is also made in Algeria and Tunisia. It is a common breakfast and street food across the Maghreb today, cooked at home and sold from griddles in markets.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →