148 – Orange Flavored Baghrir

Ingredients :

• 2 cups semolina – 350 grams
• 2 cups flour – 270 grams
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Zest of 1 large orange
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 3 cups warm water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 large egg

Directions :

1- The first step is to prepare the yeast. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and some warm water to the dry yeast. Mix well until the yeast dissolves. let the yeast mixture rest, on your kitchen counter, for 15 minutes while preparing the batter for baghrir.
2- In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: semolina, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and orange zest. Mix well.
3- Add 1 cup of fresh orange juice to the dry ingredients. Make sure to use
fresh orange juice for best results.
4- Now add water. First the water needs to be warm, second, just add 2 cups of water, mix well until the dry ingredients dissolve then add the 3rd cup of water.
5- You may have to adjust the amount of water depending on the quality of flour you are using. That’s why you should add the water into 2 steps, so you can control the amount better.
6- Now get the yeast mixture – Notice how it became creamy and doubled in size.
7- Add the yeast mixture to the baghrir batter and mix well.
8- Place the baghrir batter in a blender. Add the egg. this step is optional, so you do not have to add an egg, but it definitely makes the baghrir fluffier. blend all the ingredients until you get a smooth mixture.
9- Pour the baghrir batter in a large bowl. As you can see, the batter is quite liquidy.
10- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it rest  on your kitchen counter for 45 minutes.
11- After 45 minutes, you will notice that the baghrir batter doubled in size. Now we are ready to cook our baghrir!
12- The pan is a very important element in cooking the baghrir, make sure to use a good quality non-stick pan. wash the pan with water and place it on the stove at medium heat.
13- Leave the water drops on the pan as they will evaporate when the pan is hot enough – this will be the sign that we can start cooking the baghrir!
14- Mix the batter with a ladle, and pour around 3 quarters of a cup of batter in the pan. The batter will spread and create a nice round shape. Now, this is the best part, watch the holes form! I am running this sequence at high speed for the show!
15- Cook the baghrir on medium heat until the top surface is completely dry.
we cook the baghrir only on one side! Notice how the other side is smooth and has a nice golden color.
16- Place the cooked baghrir on a pan covered with parchment paper.
do not stock baghrir one on top of the other, otherwise they will stick. They have to be place one next to each other. Then you can cover the first layer with parchment paper, and place the next batch of baghrir on top.
17- To freeze baghrir, cover each one with parchment paper and put them in a freezer bag.
18- place the freezer bag in the freezer and they can be preserved for 3-4 weeks. You just need to thaw them before heating them in a pan and dipping them in the butter-honey sauce.
19- Talking about the butter-honey sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, then add 2-3 tablespoons of honey.
20- Let the syrup heat up for few minutes, then just take baghrir, even if it’s at room temperature, and dip the face with the wholes in the syrup. Place in a plate and serve immediately.
The baghrir will become hot due to the high temperature of the syrup.
21- And that’s it! roll the baghrir, and take a huge bite!
bonne appetit.