BEST! Moroccan Semolina Pancakes (Baghrir)

Discover how to make classic Moroccan semolina pancakes known as Baghrir or Beghrir. Baghrir is made from a fermented batter of semolina and has a soft, airy, spongy, grainy texture with a unique honeycomb appearance and is cooked only on one side.

It is also a popular pancake throughout North Africa including Algeria and Tunisia and is also known as ghrayef, mchahda or many other names.

Baghrir is one of my favorite pancakes that I make frequently and here is a tried & tested step-by-step picture recipe with useful tips. Try this homemade baghrir drizzled with warm honey butter sauce, it will surely make you happy.

Baghrir; “1000 holes pancakes”

It is also known as “1000 holes pancakes” due to its characteristic honeycomb-like look. Yeast and baking soda are the magic ingredients in the batter that causes bubbles to form on the surface as it cooks giving the pancake its characteristic honeycomb-like appearance.

serving Suggestions

Baghrir is typically served for breakfast, as a teatime treat, or for Iftar during Ramadan. But they are such a great treat anytime! They are eaten traditionally drizzled with warm honey and butter syrup or by dipping in the syrup. Yes, that’s the best way to eat them, try it once you will love it. You can also serve them with sugar, jam, chocolate spread, sweet syrups, or even with ice cream.

What is semolina?

Semolina is a type of flour made from “durum wheat” (a distinctive species of wheat) that is mainly used in making pasta and couscous. It’s yellow in color.

There are two types of semolina, coarse semolina (or semolina) and fine semolina (or durum flour). Coarse semolina has a much grittier feel and is the type of flour used for making baghrir. If you were to run your hands through semolina flour, you would notice a gritty texture.

On the other hand, durum flour is quite fine and resembles more traditional wheat flour. So, make sure not to use finely ground semolina (durum flour), you cannot make baghrir with a gritty texture using durum flour.

You need to use coarse semolina for making baghrir with a lovely grainy texture that is different from the pancakes made with fine flour like plain flour. So, you cannot fully replace semolina with plain flour or any other fine flour.

ingredients

Flour; In this recipe, I made baghrir with a combination of semolina and plain flour (all-purpose flour). However, you can also make them only with semolina. You can also use whole wheat flour instead of plain flour.

Milk and/or water; The traditional baghrir batter is typically made with water without adding milk. I have tried it once, but I find that adding some milk makes them softer and tastier. if you like simple pancakes with rustic flavor, try them only with water.

Egg; You can make baghrir with or without eggs. I have tried both and I find that eggs make softer pancakes. if you like simple pancakes with rustic flavor, try them without adding eggs.

Sugar; As you serve them with honey butter sauce, you just need a small amount of sugar to make the batter.

Yeast; You can use either instant or active dry yeast. Don’t forget to activate your yeast if you use active dry yeast. Yeast helps the batter to rise faster making spongy and airy pancakes.

Baking soda; Baking soda together with yeast is the magic ingredient in the batter that causes bubbles to form on the surface. When you’re ready to cook, add baking soda and mix well. Leave it to rest for about 5 minutes.

Salt; Add salt to your taste.

the ratio of Semolina to flour

The ratio of semolina to flour will vary according to personal preferences. In this recipe, I used 2 parts of semolina and one part of plain flour. Just you can play with semolina-to-flour ratios to find out the texture you like. You can also try it with only semolina flour without adding plain flour.

the color of the pancake

Semolina is somewhat yellow in color, so it gives a nice yellowish color to baghrir. However, depending on the semolina-to-flour ratio, the color of the pancake will be different. If you like yellowish pancakes, add a pinch of natural colorings like saffron or turmeric.

The size of the pancake

There isn’t a standard size, so just feel free to make them in any size you like according to your personal preferences. Small size baghrir is cute but you can also make them as big as your pan.

Making baghrir batter

You can make the batter in your blender or using one bowl & wire whisk (or handheld electric mixer).

In a blender

The easiest and fastest way to make the batter is to blend it in your blender. Place the ingredients in the blender and blend until you have a smooth batter at high speed.

In a Bowl with a Whisk

You can mix everything in one bowl or mix dry and wet ingredients separately in two bowls. Once the two separate bowls of ingredients are well mixed, you then combine the two bowls into one and mix to incorporate the two.

The amazing honey butter sauce

Beghrir is typically served with honey butter sauce. For making honey butter sauce, you just need 2 ingredients; honey, and butter. And it will be ready in a few minutes. It’s so addictive you’ll want to drizzle it over anything and everything not only on baghrir. It’s delicious on any kind of pancake as well as waffles. You can also use it as a dessert topping.

How to get perfect porous pancakes?
here are the Top Tips

Beghrir is really easy to make. But it will take some practice to make them with a lot of tiny holes on the surface. If it makes you feel any better, my first attempt didn’t work… So, I tried making them again and again. It was my third or fourth time that I could make the perfect baghrir with thousand holes (thousand? well, with many tiny holes). If the bubbles don’t form properly, this might be a sign that something is not satisfactory. The consistency of the batter, the pan, and the pan heat will affect the look and texture of the outcome.

The consistency of the batter

• Don’t rest your batter too long and don’t let it bubble too much, otherwise, you will not get a lot of bubbles on the surface of your pancakes.
• If the batter is too thick, the bubbles will not form. Try thinning the batter with 1-2 tablespoons of water, stir it well, and give it a few more minutes to rest before trying again.
• The batter should be thin, but it should be in the right consistency, not too thin. If the batter is too thin, you will not get spongy pancakes. Add one tablespoon of semolina, stir well, and rest for a few more minutes before making pancakes again.

The pan

• You need the right pan to make baghrir with thousand tiny holes. If the bubbles don’t form properly, you may need to try a few other pans and select the best one.
• Don’t grease the pan with oil. I find that oil prevents forming of bubbles. However, when you want to clean the pan, use a lightly oiled paper towel to clean it and then wipe off all the oil.

the pan heat

• If your pan is not hot enough, bubbles will not be formed.
• If your pan is too hot, it will burn your pancakes. So, first, heat your pan over medium heat until it is hot and pour the batter and then adjust the heat as needed.
• How to test your pan heat? Sprinkle a few drops of water on the pan. If the water drops bounce across the pan before evaporating, the pan is hot enough.

Cooking tips

• Semolina tends to absorb a lot of liquid, so if your batter is thick after resting time, add water a little at a time as needed to thin it. Let the batter rest again for about 10 minutes.
• Before every use, always stir the batter well before scooping.
• After pouring the batter onto the pan, let it spread evenly into a circle.
• Do not flip. Cook it only on one side to make spongy pancakes with a honeycomb-like surface.

Moroccan semolina pancakes (Baghrir)
step-by-step recipe

(Check out the printable recipe at the end of the post)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 h
Servings: 10 small pancakes

Ingredients

For Pancakes
100 g semolina flour
50g plain flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 egg
150ml water, warm, adjust as needed
200ml milk, warm
1/4 teaspoons baking soda

For the Syrup
50g butter (or as needed)
50ml honey (or as needed)

Instructions

Gather the ingredients

Make the batter

In a Blender

Place the ingredients (except baking soda) in the blender and blend until you have a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into a bowl. Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place until it is foamy.

One-bowl Method

Whisk together semolina, plain flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast until well combined. Make a well in the center, add the egg, and then whisk slightly.

Gradually, stir in milk and water, and then whisk until you have a smooth and thin batter without lumps.

TWo-Bowl Method

Whisk together dry ingredients (semolina, plain flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast) in a large bowl.

Whisk together wet ingredients (egg, milk and water) in a separate bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until you have a smooth batter without lumps.

Cover and let the batter rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place until it is foamy.

After resting time, your batter should be nicely foamy.

Add baking soda & Adjust the thickness of the batter. After resting time, stir in baking soda after dissolving it in some water. If your batter is thick, add water a little at a time as needed to thin it. And let the batter rest again for about 10 minutes.

Now you are ready to make Beghrir!

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high. Stir the batter before scooping and pour the batter carefully into the center of the hot pan. Let the batter spread itself evenly into a circle.

Cook for about 2 minutes. You will see a lot of tiny bubbles start to pop up on the surface of the pancake as it cooks.

Gradually, the surface will be porous while the batter is getting dry.

Do not flip. Cook it only on one side to make spongy pancakes with a honeycomb-like surface.

Transfer to a serving plate; Do not stack the pancakes. Cover with a tea towel.
Repeat with the remaining batter; make sure to adjust the heat as necessary.

Make the syrup

On the stovetop: In a small saucepan, heat butter and honey over low-medium heat while stirring until the butter is melted. The honey butter sauce will be ready.

In Microwave: Place the butter and honey in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute until the butter is melted. Remove and stir. Microwave again for a few seconds, remove and stir well.

SERVE & ENJOY

They are traditionally served drizzled with warm honey and butter syrup or by dipping in the syrup. You can also serve them with sugar, jam, chocolate spread, or other sweet syrups.

Moroccan semolina pancakes (Baghrir)
Printable Recipe

Thank you for being here, I appreciate it!
I love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment on the post
If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to see pics of your creations
 #joyofeatingtheworld or @joyofeatingtheworld

More Pancake and Crepe Recipes to Try