Traditionally Msemmen is prepared with all purpose flour, but in this recipe I have incorporated whole wheat flour as well. There's a little bit of semolina for texture. It does take a bit of work, which reflects the old-fashioned tradition of hand-made food but is well worth the effort. Manipulating the dough with oiled hands, and layering it with a mixture of oil and butter, makes a unique skillet bread that’s a cross between rough puff pastry, roti and a pancake.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Semolina - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Egg - 1 large
Oil - 1/2 cup
Melted butter - 2 tablespoons
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - 1 1/2 tablespoon
Dry yeast - 1 teaspoon
Warm water - 1- 2 cups
Method
1. Mix the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder and salt together. Whisk the lightly beaten egg in it.
2. Slowly add water and knead till the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. This takes about 5 -10 minutes.
3. Make pin pong sized balls out of the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes covered with a damp kitchen towel.
4. Mix the melted butter and oil.
5. Spread some of the oil mixture on a flat surface. Take one ball of dough and flatten it with your fingers. Stretch it until you get a thin circle of dough. you can also use a rolling pin to flatten the dough.
6. Put some semolina over the circle.Fold the upper edge and lower edge of the dough toward the center on top of the other edge, to create a long rectangle of dough. Sprinkle with semolina again, then fold the right and left edges of the dough towards the center, on top of each other, to form a square.
7. Repeat the same process with all other dough balls and let it rest for another 20 minutes covered with a damped kitchen towel.
8. Gently spread the dough square into a thin dough square.
9. Cook the Msemmen on medium - high heat for 5- 10 minutes with little oil on both sides. The cooked msemmen is chewy but should not taste raw.
Serve hot with honey
Notes :
1. The amount of water needed depends on the quality of absorption of the flour you are using. the goal is to get at the end an elastic and malleable dough. if your dough is too sticky add some flour; if it is too hard add some water and continue kneading it.
2. The cooked Msemmen can be foil wrapped and stored in the fridge for well over a week. Just heat it in a pan.