Whole Wheat Khobz

My beloved Aunt Farida had green eyes and blond hair. She was generous in figure and very affectionate with arms twice as thick as mine.

She made a flat khobz with whole wheat flour and cooked it on a large steel pan over a natural fire. Sometimes she would finish or reheat the bread over the fire to give an even more smoky flavor.

She stacked them in a cloth and covered them to prevent them from drying out.

This type of bread is best eaten as made, but that is not always possible. Sometimes a little extra virgin olive oil or butter is spread on them to keep them supple.

My favorite way to eat flat khobz is with lben and maybe some dates. It's also used as a scoop or wrap for a range of condiments, vegetable dishes, grilled meats, soups and stews.

I found my measuring cup. My 2 year old had hidden it in his toy chest. 4 cups whole wheat flour (plus a little more for dusting), about 1 3/4 cups water, a tablespoon of salt and a a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Some cooks just make it with flour and salt, others like to add warm water for a chewier texture.

In America the closest I've found to the type of flour I had in Setif is Indian Atta flour which is what I am using here.

Knead the dough as I described for kesra. My wife kneaded this batch for about 20 minutes. I would knead it for 30 minutes. Maybe we will buy a kitchen aid mixer before tackling more Algerian breads.

The dough should be smooth and elastic, shape into a ball and rub a little olive oil over it, cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes before using.

Divide the dough into four balls and roll it into a 10" (24.5 cm) disk. Cook on a cast iron griddle, the pan should be smoking hot and the bread should brown very quickly. Actually I do not have a cast iron griddle at home so I used a non-stick pan and finished it over the gas flames. The bread was still delicious, if not quite the earth and fire experience of eating it in Setif.

Another option is to make a layered bread with the same dough. I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil, others use butter, samna or smen.

Make an incision in the dough as shown, brush with extra virgin olive oil and roll into a cone as shown.

Form the cone into a ball. Roll it out until it is as thick or thin as you like.This is the easiest way to build the layers, you can repeat brushing with olive oil and the cone step 1 or 2 more times for more layers. Some people prefer a fluffier, thicker layered khobz others like theirs thinner and chewier.

Another option is stuffed khobz. The range of stuffings is only limited by access to ingredients and the cook's imagination. I made mine with hummus.

Two generous tablespoons of hummus spread in the center.

Gather the edges toward the center and gently press the seams to close them.

Flip over and carefully roll out. Flip the dough again and roll. I like mine on the thick side. There are other methods for preparing stuffed breads which I will discuss later.

The thicker breads obviously take longer to cook, so they should be cooked on lower heat then the thin breads. I cooked mine on a non-stick pan, it took about 30 minutes for a 1" thick, 6" stuffed khobz.

I don't know what type of pan you have or how heavy it is, I do not know how thick or thin you like your bread. Learn to control your heat according to what you are cooking.

 

Algeria Algerian Cuisine Algerian Recipes Algerian Food Algerian dishes Cuisine Algerienne Recettes Algerienne North African cuisine Maghreb Cuisine

Comments

[Hala]

Hello Farid -
I have been checking your blog ever since I (recently) discovered it. I am SO happy I found it, since your cooking brings together so many elements that I love. I just made whole wheat khobz last night, but with some leavening (yeast) to create the pocket effect. I look forward to trying other recipes from your site. I am vegetarian, but your meat and chicken dishes look sublime.

[Roohi]

Walaikum Salaam WRWB.
The amlou was delicious -but very expensive. I bought 125 g for $16 (Canadian). I have already finished more than half of the jar! I am not sure that this is going to be sustainable (financially). Maybe I will have to buy wholesale:). I was surprised to find amlou at a mainstream cheese shop. I had not heard of it until I saw it there last week. I am hoping to buy some organic lemons and salt today, so that I can start my education in Algerian cuisine.

[Roohi]

The amlou was delicious -but very expensive. I bought 125 g for $16 (Canadian). I have already finished more than half of the jar! I am not sure that this is going to be sustainable (financially). Maybe I will have to buy wholesale:). I was surprised to find amlou at a mainstream cheese shop. I had not heard of it until I saw it there last week.

[Farid Zadi]

Salaam Aleikum Roohi

The basic flat Khobz could be similar to Indian rotis.

The first time I had a paratha they reminded me of Algerian layered khobz.

Amlou can be very expensive, was it worth it? :-)

[Roohi]

Interesting. I have never had this before but it is very much like paratha.

[Aisha]

Flat Khobz is the best bread in the world. I'll take it over your baguette's Farid! ;-)

I agree with you the Atta flour is a good substitute if you are in America.