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Muufo (Somali maize flatbread)
Muufo: thick, slightly tangy maize flatbread from the southern coast, traditionally slapped onto a clay-oven wall
Along the southern Somali coast and in the farming areas of the Shabelle valley, muufo is baked by pressing rounds of maize dough against the hot inner wall of a clay oven, where they puff and char in minutes. The bread is thick, a little sweet from the corn and slightly tangy, and its dimpled surface is perfect for soaking up digir, maraq or a drizzle of sesame oil and sugar at breakfast. At home a heavy pan and a very hot grill do a good job. Most cooks mix maize flour with some wheat flour so the dough holds together; this version uses yeast and oil, so it is vegan. The usual mistake is an oven or pan that is not hot enough, which gives a pale, dense bread; let the pan heat for a full 5 minutes. Chef's tip: wet your hands when shaping, as the sticky dough is far easier to pat out.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz fine maize flouror fine sorghum flour
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm waterabout
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (optional)untoasted, to serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 10 ½ oz fine maize flour, 5 ½ oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Stir in the 1 ½ cups warm water to a soft, sticky dough, like thick porridge, and beat with a spoon for 2 minutes. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes until puffy and slightly bubbly. (Rising time is not counted in the total.)
2 minStep 2: Heat the grill to high and put a heavy ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Brush with a little of the 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
5 minStep 3: With wet hands, take a sixth of the dough and pat it into a round about 15 cm across and 1.5 cm thick. Press a few dimples into the top with your fingertips.
Step 4: Lay it in the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes until the underside is browned and the edges look set.
3 minStep 5: Slide the pan under the grill for 1–2 minutes until the top puffs and chars in spots. Lift out, brush with a little more oil and keep warm in a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
20 minStep 6: Serve warm, drizzled with 2 tbsp sesame oil if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does muufo (Somali maize flatbread) take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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