Meloui (ملوي)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large shallow mixing bowl
• •Heavy griddle or cast-iron skillet, 28cm or wider
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix the flour, 150g fine semolina, and salt in a wide bowl. Add the warm water gradually, pulling the flour in with your fingers until you have a soft dough that is tacky but not wet. Knead 10 to 12 minutes, by hand or mixer, until it feels elastic and smooth under your palm.

   Do not add all the water at once. Flour drinks differently from house to house, and meloui teaches you to feel the dough, not obey the jug.
2. 2

   Rest and divide

   Oil your hands and the work surface lightly. Divide the dough into 8 balls, tucking each one smooth underneath. Rub each ball with a little oil, cover with plastic or a clean towel, and rest 20 minutes. This rest matters: it relaxes the dough so it stretches thin without snapping back.

3. 3

   Stretch it thin

   Mix the melted butter with the oil in a small bowl. Working with one ball at a time on an oiled surface, press and stretch it outward with oiled hands until it is very thin, almost translucent in places. Brush with the butter-oil mixture and scatter lightly with fine semolina.

4. 4

   Roll and coil

   Fold one edge of the thin dough toward the center, then the other edge over it to make a long strip. Brush again with butter-oil, sprinkle with a little semolina, then roll the strip lengthwise into a rope. Coil the rope into a tight spiral and tuck the end underneath. Repeat with the rest, then rest the coils 10 minutes so they soften before flattening.

   The semolina between layers keeps them from sealing completely. That is why the bread opens in rings when you tear it.
5. 5

   Flatten the spirals

   Take one rested coil and press it gently from the center outward into a round about 12 to 15cm wide. Keep the spiral visible. If the dough resists, let it sit another few minutes and press again. Forcing it makes tough bread.

6. 6

   Cook on griddle

   Heat a heavy griddle or skillet over medium heat and wipe it with the thinnest film of oil. Cook each meloui 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning a few times, until both sides are golden with darker freckles and the edges feel cooked through. Keep the heat moderate, because high heat browns the outside before the center has time to finish.

7. 7

   Serve warm

   Serve the meloui warm, with honey and butter at the table. Tear it with your hands so the layers separate. If you are making a pile, keep the cooked breads wrapped in a clean towel so they stay tender while the next ones cook.

Chef Tips

• •Use fine semolina, not couscous grain. Couscous belongs to its own mountain of a meal, and these breads need semolina fine enough to disappear between the layers.
• •Keep your hands and the table oiled, not floured, while shaping. Extra flour makes the layers dry and heavy.
• •Cook the first meloui as your test. If it browns too fast and stays doughy inside, lower the heat and give the next one more time.
• •Honey belongs at the table, not inside the dough. Let each person tear, dip, and sweeten their own piece.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough balls can rest, oiled and covered, for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
• •Cooked meloui can be cooled, wrapped, and kept 1 day at room temperature. Rewarm on a dry skillet until the surface feels supple again.
• •For longer keeping, freeze cooked meloui with parchment between them for up to 1 month, then reheat straight from frozen on a low griddle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 135g)