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Khobz mella
Ember-baked bread
Khobz mella: Saharan Bedouin bread baked under hot sand and embers, done here in a hot oven
Around Douz, on the edge of the Tunisian Sahara, nomadic herders bake khobz mella by digging a hollow in sand heated under a fire, laying in a thick round of dough and burying it under more hot sand and embers. Brushed off and broken up, the crusty, smoky bread is crumbled into a tomato, pepper and onion stew to make mella, or eaten with olive oil and dates. Visitors to desert camps watch it being made by firelight. At home, a pizza stone or an upturned heavy tray in a very hot oven gives a similar chewy loaf with a thick crust; a charcoal barbecue gets you close to the smoky flavour. Chef's tip: dock the dough well with a fork; without it the round puffs up into a hollow ball and the crust cracks.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the bread
- 10 ½ oz fine semolina
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm waterabout
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the mella stew
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 green pepperschopped
- 4 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz fine semolina, 7 oz plain flour and 1 ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 1 ½ cups warm water gradually and knead for 8–10 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Rest it under a cloth for 20 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Put a pizza stone or heavy upturned baking tray in the oven and heat to 475°F (fan 450°F) for at least 30 minutes, until very hot.
Step 3: Press the dough into a round about 25 cm across and 2 cm thick. Prick it all over with a fork and brush with 2 tbsp olive oil.
Step 4: Slide the bread onto the hot stone and bake for 15 minutes, then turn it over and bake for 10–15 minutes more, until deep golden, crusty and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
28 minStep 5: Meanwhile make the stew: heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook 1 onion and 2 green peppers for 8 minutes until soft. Add 3 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp harissa paste and stir for 1 minute.
9 minStep 7: Cool the bread for 5 minutes, then break it into bite-sized pieces in a bowl and ladle over the stew, letting it soak for a minute. A common mistake is soaking it too long; the crumbs should be soft at the edges but still chewy. Eat at once, or eat the bread plain with olive oil and dates.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khobz mella take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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