Moroccan · Morocco · breakfast

Baghrir (Moroccan Thousand-Hole Pancakes)

baghrir / بغرير

Baghrir are the beloved breakfast pancakes of Morocco — pale, spongy, and covered in a honeycomb of tiny holes that form as the batter cooks from the bottom up. You cook them on one side only, so the top stays soft and porous, ready to soak up warm butter and honey. They're made from fine semolina and leavened with both yeast and baking powder, which is what creates that signature bubbly surface. Friday mornings, Ramadan, a slow weekend — this is that kind of breakfast.

• fine semolina (semolina flour)

  1 cup

  170g

  Substitution · availability

  Original: fine semolina (smida). Bob's Red Mill semolina flour works well. In a pinch, use 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup (40g) regular semolina — the holes will still form but the texture is slightly less chewy. Do not use coarse semolina; it won't blend smooth.

• all-purpose flour

  1/4 cup

  30g

• instant yeast

  1 tsp

  3g

• baking powder

  1 tsp

  4g

• sugar

  1 tsp

  4g

• salt

  1/4 tsp

  1.5g

• warm water (about 110°F / 43°C)

  1 3/4 cups

  420ml

• unsalted butter

  4 tbsp

  55g

  Substitution · traditional ingredient

  Original: smen (Moroccan fermented butter). Smen has a funky, aged quality — ghee is a closer substitute than plain butter if you can find it. Plain unsalted butter is perfectly good and what most home cooks use today.

• honey

  4 tbsp

  85g

1. 01

   3 min

   Combine the semolina, all-purpose flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a blender. Add the warm water. Blend on high for 1 full minute until completely smooth — no grit. The batter will be thin, more like crepe batter than pancake batter. This is correct.

2. 02

   30 min

   Pour the batter into a large bowl or pitcher. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. You'll see it become slightly foamy on top and a few bubbles forming — that's the yeast doing its work. Don't skip this rest; it's what creates the holes.

3. 03

   3 min

   Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Do not grease it — baghrir cook in a dry pan. When the pan is warm (hold your hand 2 inches above it and it should feel comfortably hot, not scorching), give the batter a gentle stir from the bottom.

4. 04

   3 min

   Pour a ladleful of batter (about 1/3 cup / 80ml) onto the center of the pan. Let it spread naturally into a round about 6 inches across. Do not spread it with a spoon. Within 30 seconds, you'll see bubbles begin to break through the surface, forming the characteristic holes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the surface looks completely set and dry — no wet batter anywhere on top. You never flip baghrir. The bottom should be pale golden, not browned.

5. 05

   20 min

   Slide the finished baghrir onto a plate and cover loosely with a towel to keep warm while you cook the rest. Repeat with remaining batter, stirring gently before each pour. You should get 10 to 12 pancakes total. If the first one doesn't show many holes, your pan may be too hot — lower the heat slightly and wait a minute before the next one.

6. 06

   3 min

   While the last few pancakes cook, gently melt the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until combined. This is your dipping sauce — it goes into a small bowl or ramekin at the table.

7. 07

   1 min

   Serve the baghrir warm, hole-side up, with the butter-honey mixture alongside for dipping or drizzling. The holes are the whole point — they trap the honey so every bite is saturated. Mint tea alongside is not optional, at least in spirit.

• · LLM tiebreak failed for "baking powder" — picked first result as fallback

Reheating · Bread keeps 2 days at room temp in a paper bag. Refrigeration stales it faster — freeze instead.

Source: foodkeeper