Khboz Bchehmar with Khliî (Beshmar Bread with Khliî)

My original dinner plans for tonight fell through, so I decided to try making these flatbreads instead. The filling was extremely tasty, but I think I would have just as soon had it on top of a plain flatbread as made into a stuffed one.

If you don't have any khli&icric; (or khliî substitute) on hand, then this can also be made with a mixture of finely diced beef or lamb and grated suet. I opted for the preserved meat version because I had some on hand that needed using up.

The shaping instructions for these stuffed breads were somewhat ambiguous. I took my best guess based on what made sense to me, but feel free to try something different if you'd like.

Khboz Bchehmar

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/3 c. khliî or 1/2 c. khliî substitute
• 60g fat from khliî (or khliî substitute)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 3-4 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. harissa
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon/true cinnamon)

Dough

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. extra-fine semolina flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. warm water, divided

Directions

Filling

1. Combine the meat and fat in a bowl.
2. Rinse the onion and squeeze it to expell any excess water.
3. Combine the parsley, onion, cumin, coriander, and salt in a molcajete or large mortar and pound it into a paste.
4. Mix in the harissa, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, and cinnamon.
5. Add the paste to the meat mixture, cover, and set aside.

Dough

1. Combine the flours, yeast, and salt and mix to blend.
2. Gradually add 1/2 c. of warm water and mix to form a stiff dough. (You may need to add an extra Tbsp. or two of water to get the dough to come together.)
3. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Turn out the dough and gradually work in the rest of the water while kneading. You may need a Tbsp. or two more or less than called for. Work the dough until it is smooth and supple with just a hint of tackiness to it.

Assembly

1. Divide dough into four equal portions.
2. Shape each portion into a ball.
3. Working with one portion at a time, stretch and roll the dough to form a rectangle (or oval) ~20cm by 30cm.
4. Spread 1/4 of the filling in the centre of the dough.
5. Fold the dough in thirds crosswise (letterfold).
6. Press the dough flat. (Wolfert says to press and stretch it back to its original size, but I couldn't see any way to do this without the whole thing falling apart.)
7. Sprinkle with a little extra semolina flour and perform a second letter fold perpendicular to the first.
8. Press and seal the dough again.
9. Prick several times with a fork, then flip over and prick the other side with a fork as well.
10. Cover and set aside to rise for 45-60 minutes.
11. Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat.
12. Add one or two breads to the hot pan. As the bread heats up, the fat/suet will melt and run out the holes in the dough, allowing the bread to fry in its own fat.
13. Cook for ~7 minutes on each side.
14. Serve with butter and/or harissa.