Khobz (Moroccan Bread)

Khobz is a traditional Moroccan bread that you can easily prepare!  Only four ingredients and no-fuss preparation — try it once, and you will surely make it regularly at home!

Crusty and crunchy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside — that’s the best way to describe this round Moroccan bread.

Locally known as ‘khobz,’ it proves you only need a few ingredients to make a delicious loaf of bread.

You can enjoy khobz for breakfast with some marmalade and a cup of coffee or serve it as an accompaniment for your favorite soup for light lunch.

My favorite is to have it at arm’s reach every time we have a stew for a meal.

Khobz is excellent for absorbing the sauce off your plate — and with its neutral flavor, it lets the main dish shine, not overpowering it.

Doubtful?  Try and see for yourself, then! 🙂

Ingredients

• Flour – you would need bread flour to make this khobz recipe.

• Yeast – I always use active dry yeast.

• Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil, if possible, and you would need more for greasing your hands when forming your Moroccan bread loaves. 

• Salt – just use your favorite brand.

Preparation

Start making khobz by combining the yeast with one cup and six tablespoons of warm water.

Mix, then set aside until it becomes foamy.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl).

Mix to distribute the salt in the flour.

Once the yeast is ready, add it to the flour.

Pour the olive oil.

Mix and knead until you get a smooth khobz dough.

Form into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl.

Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for thirty minutes.

Divide the khobz dough into two portions.

Rub your hands with olive oil, then form a ball for each part.

Use your greased palm to flatten each dough, then keep pressing (or stretching) to the sides to make it bigger (like making a pizza).

Sprinkle some semolina flour on top if you have them.

Cover with the kitchen towel, and keep it tightly covered by tucking the edges of the towel under the tray.

Set aside for sixty to ninety minutes.

Preheat your oven to 225°C (430°F).

Uncover the khobz loaves and use a fork to prick some holes on top.

Bake in the oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until it turns golden.

Remove your khobz from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.

Serve and enjoy!

Helpful tips

• Remember to grease your hands with olive oil when forming the loaves.  It helps in giving that lovely golden color to every loaf of khobz.

• You can use a rolling pin to flatten the dough if you prefer.  However, I think using my hands is easier, so I never bother using anything else.

• Tucking the kitchen towel under your baking tray helps ensure the khobz loaves do not rise too much — keeping its traditional shape.

Recipe variation

• Number of loaves.  If you want smaller loaves, you can divide the dough into three equal portions instead of the suggested two.

• Pizza stone.  While a regular baking tray in the oven is perfectly fine, I always use my pizza stone to make khobz.

I preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside for at least thirty minutes (like when making homemade pizza), then place the Moroccan bread loaf on top of the stone and cook as usual.

That was easy, right?  So give this khobz recipe a try this weekend and let me know! 🙂

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