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Frena
Frena (פרנה): Moroccan-Jewish Shabbat flatbread with a crisp, oily base
In Moroccan-Jewish homes from Ashdod to Kiryat Shmona, frena comes out of the oven on Friday afternoon and sits on the Shabbat table beside a dozen little salads: carrots with cumin, matbucha, beetroot, roasted peppers. The dough is wet and soft, pressed into a pan pooled with olive oil, so the base fries as it bakes and turns crackly while the inside stays airy and chewy. It is torn, never sliced, and dragged through the salads. The usual mistake is adding flour until the dough feels easy to handle; a stiff dough gives a dense, bready frena. Chef's tip: dimple the risen dough hard with oiled fingers right down to the pan, so the oil rises into the pockets and every bite has a crisp edge.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- ⅓ oz fine salt
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
For the pan
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast and 1 tsp sugar in a large bowl, then add 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and stir into a shaggy, sticky dough. Rest it for 10 minutes so the flour hydrates.
10 minStep 2: Add ⅓ oz fine salt and knead in the bowl with a wet hand, stretching and folding, for about 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic but still sticky. Do not add more flour.
6 minStep 3: Pour 1 tablespoon of 1 tbsp olive oil over the dough, turn to coat, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled and full of bubbles, about 1 hour.
60 minStep 4: Pour the rest of ¼ cup olive oil into a 30 cm round or 25 x 35 cm baking tin and tip the dough into it. Press it out towards the edges with oiled fingers; if it springs back, rest 10 minutes and press again.
10 minStep 5: Cover loosely and leave for 20 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 475°F with a shelf low down.
20 minStep 6: Dimple the dough all over with your fingertips right down to the tin, then scatter over 1 tbsp sesame seeds and ½ tsp flaky sea salt.
Step 7: Bake on the low shelf for 20–25 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the base sounds hollow and looks crisp when you lift a corner with a spatula.
25 minStep 8: Slide onto a rack so the base stays crisp, and tear it warm to serve with salads.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does frena take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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