Baked Moroccan Harcha (Harsha)

Harcha (Harsha) is a moroccan flatbread made of semolina that is usually pan-fried.

I  won't lie i found pan frying these a nightmare, they simply fell apart when i tried to turn them over, maybe i was flipping too soon or pressing the dough balls out too thinly in the pan... your guess is as good as mine.

I decided to use my trusty oven to bake the rest, here's how.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (250 grams) fine semolina


• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup (125 grams) soft butter


• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (120 to 180 ml) milk


• 1/4 cup coarse semolina flour (optional)

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, blend together the fine semolina flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter, and blend well using your hands or a wooden spoon.


• Add 1/2 cup milk and mix until a dough forms. It should be quite moist and easily packed into a large mound. Add an additional milk if necessary to achieve this consistency.


• Shape the dough into balls any size that you feel like(I used a heaped tablespoon of dough) and leave the dough to rest a few minutes.Meanwhile Preheat your oven to 180C/160C(fan)/350F/Gas Mark 4. Roll the balls in the coarse semolina (this is optional for appearance and texture) and flatten each ball into a disc about 1/4" thick, place on a non stick baking sheet.


• Cook the harcha for 12-15minutes, if you want yours to be golden brown on both sides i suggest you flip them over halfway through baking. Leave to cool on baking sheet for 2-3minutes before transferring to a serving plate.

Serve immediately with golden syrup, honey, jam, cheese, and/or butter.

Adapted from about.com