Wolfert notes that Moroccan warqa pastry is often compared to several other thin, high-gluten pastries from other cooking traditions (fillo, strudel, brik, etc.), but warqa is distinct from all of them and, she notes, thinner.

Based on the description in the book, it sounds like the traditional way of making warqa leaves is to tap a large ball of dough multiple times onto a hot pan to deposit a thin layer pastry onto it. Wolfert has given an alternative method that involves painting batter onto a hot pan with a pastry brush. Aside from the fact that my batter was a little lumpy and my pastry brush may never be the same again, I think this worked reasonably well.

I think that using an actual food processor -- rather than trying to use a blender as a food processor -- might help with the lumpiness of the batter next time. (Not that I have a food processor, but I do think that would help.) As for the pastry brush... Despite the fact that she specifically calls for a natural bristle brush for painting the batter onto the pan (and a silicone brush for oiling them afterward), I'm thinking that I might want to try out a silicone brush for both tasks next time. I'm not sure if it'd work or not, but I'd like to at least give it a go so that I know for sure.

Warqa

From The Food of Morocco

Ingredients

• 225g hard (high grade/bread/strong) white flour
• 1/4 c. all-purpose or atta (extra-fine semolina) flour¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 3/4 c. water, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Directions

1. Combine the flours and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple times to get everything mixed.
2. With the machine running, add 1 c. of the water along with the vinegar.
3. Process until the dough forms a smooth ball, then add the oil through the tube and process for another 30 seconds.
4. With the machine still running, pour in the remaining 3/4 c. water and process for another minute or so.
5. Pour into a container, cover, and chill overnight.
6. The next day, set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a fast boil.
7. Set a non-stick skillet that fits snugly over the pot. Secure it with kitchen twine if necessary.
8. Use a silicone brush to lightly oil the skillet, then wipe it out with a paper towel.
9. Use a natural bristle brush to stir up the batter (or experiment with using silicone for this), then quickly brush the batter evenly over the hot skillet. If necessary, do another pass to fill in any empty spaces.²
10. Cook for ~2 minutes. Once the warqa turns completely white and the edges start to curl, it's ready.
11. Grab the curling edges of the warqa with your fingertips and lift it out of the pan.
12. Place it cooked-side-up on a paper towel, then use a silicone brush to lightly brush it with some of the oil.
13. Place another paper towel on top.
14. Stir up the batter again and repeat the process until all batter has been used. (I got ~24 warqa from this recipe.)
15. If not using right away, place the stack of warqa and paper towels into a plastic bag and store in the fridge. They will keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. For loger term storage, they may be frozen.

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¹ If the warqa will be used for bastilla, use the all-purpose flour. If it will be used for briwat, use the atta flour. ^Back
2 I found that one pass/brush-full was nowhere near enough to coat the whole bottom of the pan. I don't know if my brush was too small or my pan too big or my technique was not good or what, but it generally took me at least six passes to get full coverage. It still seemed to work out okay though. My warqa were tissue-thin, but quite strong and flexible. ^Back