Pareve
2 round loaves
Beginner–Intermediate
30 minutes
3–4 hours
HaMotzi
Khobz is the daily bread of Morocco — round, flat, golden, and essential at every meal. For Moroccan Jews, no Shabbat table, no weekday dinner, no holiday celebration was complete without khobz. It is the bread you tear with your hands, the bread you use to scoop tagine, the bread that soaks up every last drop of sauce on the plate.
What distinguishes Moroccan khobz from other round breads is the semolina flour blended into the dough. This gives the crust a golden, slightly gritty texture and the interior a tender, almost cake-like crumb. Anise seeds and sesame seeds are traditional additions that perfume the bread with warm, sweet-spicy notes unique to Moroccan baking.
The shape is always the same: a round, slightly domed disc, scored with a fork or knife before baking. In Morocco, families would mark their dough with a distinctive pattern so the communal bakery (ferran) could return the correct loaves after baking. Today, the scoring is decorative, but the tradition endures.
What Makes This Special
- Semolina blend — A mix of bread flour and semolina for golden color and distinctive texture.
- Anise and sesame — Traditional Moroccan aromatics that perfume the bread.
- Versatile scooping bread — Designed to tear and use for eating tagines, salads, and dips.
- Moroccan Jewish heritage — The daily bread of Moroccan Jewish households for centuries.
Halachic Notes
- Kosher Classification: Pareve
- Hafrashat Challah: Uses ~500g flour total. Separate challah without a bracha at this quantity.
- Checking Eggs: Each egg must be checked individually for blood spots before adding.
- Pas Yisroel: Homemade bread baked by a Jewish person fulfills Pas Yisroel.
- Brachot: Before eating: HaMotzi. After eating: Birkat HaMazon.
- Mimouna: Khobz is served alongside mufleta at the Mimouna celebration marking the end of Pesach.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Grams | Volume | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 300 g | 2½ cups | 60% |
| Fine semolina | 200 g | 1¼ cups | 40% |
| Granulated sugar | 15 g | 1 tbsp | 3% |
| Fine sea salt | 9 g | 1½ tsp | 1.8% |
| Instant yeast | 7 g | 2¼ tsp | 1.4% |
| Anise seeds (optional) | 3 g | 1 tsp | 0.6% |
| Warm water | 310 g | 1¼ cups + 1 tbsp | 62% |
| Olive oil | 20 g | 1½ tbsp | 4% |
| Sesame seeds (for top) | 15 g | 1½ tbsp | — |
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix and Knead
Combine flour, semolina, sugar, salt, yeast, and anise seeds. Add water and olive oil. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. The semolina gives the dough a slightly gritty feel that is normal.
Step 2: Rise
Cover and rise 1½ hours until doubled.
Step 3: Shape
Divide in half. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten into a round disc about 18–20 cm (7–8 in) in diameter and 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. Place on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Brush tops with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Score the top with a fork in a decorative pattern.
Step 4: Proof
Cover and proof 30–40 minutes until slightly puffed.
Step 5: Bake
Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Bake 25–30 minutes until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Room temperature: 2–3 days wrapped in a cloth. Khobz keeps well thanks to the semolina.
- Freezing: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Warm in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes or in a dry skillet.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Bread too dense | Under-kneaded or insufficient rise | Knead full 10 minutes; ensure doubled during bulk rise |
| Crust not golden | Semolina ratio too low | Maintain the 60/40 flour/semolina blend |
| Cracking on top | Proofed too long or oven too hot | Reduce proof time; start at 200°C |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between khobz and pita?
Khobz is denser, thicker, and does not pocket. It has semolina for texture and is meant to be torn and used for scooping, not for stuffing.
Can I use all bread flour?
You can, but the semolina is what makes khobz distinctive. It provides the golden color, slight crunch, and unique texture.
What do Moroccan Jews eat with khobz?
Everything. Chicken tagine with preserved lemons, couscous, matbucha, zaalouk (eggplant salad), and harira soup. Khobz is the utensil as much as it is the bread.
Can I add other seeds?
Nigella seeds (ketzach) and poppy seeds are also traditional. Some bakers add fennel seeds in place of or alongside anise.
Breads of Morocco
Explore more Sephardi and Mizrachi recipes on the Kosher Bread Path.