Bread

Moroccan Khobz (Everyday Round Bread)

Name: Moroccan Khobz (Everyday Round Bread)
Prep time: PT1.5H20M
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Makes 2 loaves
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 300g bread flour; 200g fine semolina (semoule fine), plus extra for dusting; 2 tsp active dry yeast; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 300-330ml warm water; 2 tbsp olive oil

The plain, round semolina-and-flour bread that arrives at nearly every Moroccan meal — simple ingredients, a home-oven method, and the technique behind its crust.

Prep

20 minutes active, 1.5 hours rising

Cook

25 minutes

Servings

Makes 2 loaves

Difficulty

Medium

Khobz is the bread that shows up at almost every Moroccan meal without anyone commenting on it — round, semolina-flecked, and meant to be torn by hand rather than sliced. If you’ve cooked any of the tagines on this site, this is the bread meant to sit beside them, used to scoop rather than served as a side.

It’s a simple yeasted dough, not far off a rustic Italian or French loaf in method, but the semolina in both the dough and the dusting gives it a texture that’s genuinely its own — a little coarser, with a crust that holds up to being torn rather than cut.

Bake it the same day you plan to eat it if you can. Unlike some breads, khobz doesn’t improve with age — it’s at its best within a few hours of coming out of the oven.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

300g bread flour
200g fine semolina (semoule fine), plus extra for dusting
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Wet Ingredients

300-330ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, semolina, yeast, salt and sugar.
2
Make a well in the center and add the olive oil and most of the warm water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, adding the remaining water as needed.
3
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky.
4
Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until roughly doubled.
5
Punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Shape each into a smooth, flattened round about 2cm thick.
6
Place on a semolina-dusted tray, cover loosely, and let rise for a further 30-40 minutes.
7
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Just before baking, prick each loaf a few times with a fork to stop it puffing unevenly.
8
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
9
Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing — it firms up as it cools.

Tips

Semolina in both the dough and the dusting is what gives khobz its slightly coarse, distinctive crust — don't substitute all-purpose flour for it.
Khobz is meant to be eaten the same day it's baked; it goes firm quickly. Leftover loaves are best sliced and toasted rather than eaten fresh the next day.
In Moroccan homes, bread is rarely sliced with a knife at the table — it's torn by hand and used as the primary utensil for scooping tagines and salads.

Questions About This Recipe

Can I make this without semolina?

You can use all bread flour, but the texture and slightly nutty flavor will be noticeably different — semolina is what gives khobz its characteristic crust and crumb, so it's worth sourcing if you can.

Why is my bread dense?

Usually under-proofing is the cause — make sure the dough has genuinely doubled at both rise stages before shaping and baking, especially in a cooler kitchen where rising takes longer.

Can this be made in a home oven, or does it need a traditional Moroccan oven?

A regular home oven works fine. Traditional communal ovens (ferrane) give a slightly different crust from the higher, more even heat, but this recipe is written specifically for a standard home oven.