Msemen (Layered Square Flatbread)

Mix the flour, 50 g of the semolina, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.

Add the warm water gradually and bring it together into a dough.

Knead 10–15 minutes, until the dough is very soft, smooth and slightly tacky — softer than a bread dough.

💡 Do not add flour to fight the stickiness. A stiff dough will tear the second you try to stretch it thin — the softness is the recipe, and oiled hands solve the sticking.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a smooth ball.

Coat the balls generously in oil, set them on an oiled tray, and rest them 20–30 minutes.

💡 The rest is not optional. Un-rested dough springs back and tears; rested dough stretches like a sheet. Oil also stops a skin forming.

Oil your work surface heavily — no flour anywhere in this recipe from here on.

Take one ball and flatten it, then push and stretch it outward with oiled palms until it is a large, almost transparent sheet.

💡 You should be able to see the counter through it. Work from the centre outward and go slowly at the edges. A few small holes are fine — they disappear in the folding.

Brush the sheet with melted butter or oil and sprinkle it evenly with fine semolina.

💡 The semolina is what keeps the layers from welding together — it is the difference between msemen and a thick pancake. Do not skip it and do not be shy with it.

Fold the sheet into thirds like a letter, brush and dust again, then fold into thirds the other way to make a square.

Repeat with the remaining balls and let the squares rest 10 minutes.

Gently press or roll each square out to about twice its size — thin, but not so thin the layers merge.

💡 Press with your palms rather than rolling hard. A rolling pin crushes the air pockets you just folded in.

Heat a dry heavy pan or griddle over medium heat and cook each msemen 2–3 minutes per side, pressing it down with a spatula.

💡 Medium heat, not high. Too hot and the outside sets brown before the inner layers cook, leaving raw dough between crisp sheets.

It is done when both sides are golden with brown blisters and the edges have visibly separated into layers.

Serve hot, with honey and mint tea, or stuffed with jam or cheese.