Baghrir can be made with fine semolina only or a mix of semolina and flour. It is only cooked in one side and the other side is the one that has too many holes. It is fun to watch the holes form.
Baghrir is prepared for breakfast or to accompany the afternoon coffee or tea. It is also prepared during the holy month of Ramadan.
Baghrir is served with a bowl of butter, honey , or a mix of butter and honey for drizzling. Baghrir is also served drizzled with olive oil and some children like it with olive oil and granulated sugar on top.
Small Stuffed Baghrir is found in the Middle East and it is called Qatayef or Atayef.
North African Pancakes with Tiny Holes – Baghrir
Ingredients
- 2 cups fine semolina
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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In a bowl of a stand mixer, put semolina, salt, flour, sugar and yeast.
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Add 2 cups warm water and mix on low for 2 minutes.
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Add the remaining water (2cups) gradually while whisking.
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Increase the speed of the stand mixer and whisk for about 5 minutes. The batter should be runny.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel.
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Let rest for at least 30 minutes or until the bubbles form on the surface. The more the batter rest, the better is the Baghrir.
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Mix the batter with a wooden spoon.
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Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat or a non stick pan.
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Spray the skillet with little olive oil and wipe it with paper towel.
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Take about a small ladle of the batter and pour it in the center of the pan. The batter should spread easily but you can help it spread by moving the pan horizontally( make small vibrations).
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Reduce the heat to medium low.
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Let the pancake or Baghrir cook. You will notice tiny holes form on all the surface, that’s how you know that your Baghrir is successful.
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Baghrir is cooked on one side only, once the surface with holes is dried out, remove with a spatula.
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You can make the small Baghrir(using 1/4 cup) in batches.
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Place the Baghrir on a kitchen towel, single layered for few minutes before stacking them.
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Serve with butter, honey, a mix of butter and honey or drizzle with olive oil.
Recipe Notes
- It’’s important to use an active yeast. To be sure that your yeast is active, just mix it with warm water and sugar in a cup and let it proof.
- It’s very important to let the batter rest until bubbles form.
- If tiny holes didn’t form when cooking the first pancake(or Baghrir), it’s probably the batter is too thick. You need to add warm water (1/4 cup or less at the time).
- If you add warm water to the batter before cooking the pancakes and still don’t see much holes on your pancakes, you probably need to add about 1 teaspoon baking powder to the batter then mix well.
- If you don’t like butter or honey with your Baghrir, you can use your favorite syrup.
- You can make small pancakes using 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
- If you made big pancakes, cut them into quarters and serve.
- You can use more or less semolina or flour for your recipe but the amount of warm water will differ.
- You can use 1 teaspoon yeast instead of 1 tablespoon but you should let the Baghrir batter rest for more than 3 hours.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a blender to mix the Baghrir batter.
- There are several recipes for Baghrir. I choose to not add baking powder for mine but I let the batter rest for longer time(1 hour minimum) for best result.