Msemen

Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz fine semolina, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp instant yeast in a bowl. Add 1 cup warm water gradually, mixing with your hand, until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Step 2: Knead on the worktop for 8–10 minutes until very smooth and elastic; when you press it, it should spring back slowly.

Step 3: Oil your hands and divide the dough into 8 balls the size of a small egg. Coat each in a little ½ cup vegetable oil, cover with cling film and rest for 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.

Step 4: Oil the worktop generously. Flatten a ball with oiled fingers, then push and stretch it outwards into a very thin round about 25 cm wide, so thin you can almost see the worktop through it. Small holes don't matter.

Step 5: Sprinkle the round with a pinch of 2 ⅛ oz fine semolina. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, then the sides in, to make a square of about 8 cm. Brush with oil and sprinkle with semolina. Repeat with all the balls.

Step 6: Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over a medium heat. Take one square, press it out with oiled fingers to about 14 cm, and lay it in the pan.

Step 7: Cook for 2 minutes per side, pressing with a spatula, until golden with crisp brown patches and you can see the layers puffing. Cooking on a high heat is the common mistake; the outside burns before the folded layers cook through.

Step 8: Keep the cooked msemen warm wrapped in a tea towel. Serve with honey, olive oil, jam or soft cheese, alongside mint tea.