Plain Harcha + Zaatar and Black Olive Harcha
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Harcha is a type of pan fried semolina cake and like baghrir or msemen, harcha is famous for being one of the classic Moroccan breakfast essentials. Usually served for breakfast, they are also enjoyed in Morocco during tea time with jam or with honey and butter syrup.
I wasn’t sure if they would be considered as bread or biscuits but I think the right term would be a galette (aka crusty bread). Their consistency is delicately soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. They are deliciously tasty and rich. They can be sweet or savoury, flavoured and/or filled with dried fruits, meat, herbs, etc. I love love love harcha with black olives and zaatar so I decided to share this recipe with you!
I advise you to enjoy them while they are warm. As you can see I had my plain harcha with sprinkles but my favourite way is the British scone way: with clotted cream and jam!
Harcha
INGREDIENTS
Makes 16 5 cm small harchas
250g semolina
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
75g unsalted butter at room temperature (softened)
100ml milk, any type
METHOD
• In a medium sized bowl mix together the dry ingredients; semolina, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Add the soft butter to dry mixture and using your hands, mix them together making sure that the dry mixture is now moist.
• Add half of the milk and mix again. Keep adding milk until you obtain a dough consistency. Depending on the type of semolina you will be using the amount of milk will vary. Let the harcha dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the semolina flour to absorb the milk.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls and flatten them into 1 cm thick discs or any other shape.
• Coat the harcha discs with more semolina on each side to obtain a crispy texture once cooked.
• To cook them, place them in a warm pan over medium-low heat and cook on each side for 5 minutes or more until golden on each side.
• Serve warm with anything you fancy!
Notes
• The traditional topping for harcha in Morocco is melted honey and butter syrup. To make the syrup, heat equal portions of honey and butter until melted. You can also add some drops of orange blossom water to the syrup.
Zaatar and black olive Harcha
INGREDIENTS
Makes 16 5 cm small harchas
250g semolina and more for coating
75g butter at room temperature
100ml milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons zaatar
2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted black olives
1 teaspoon salt
METHOD
• In a medium sized bowl mix together the semolina, zaatar, olives, baking powder and salt.
• Add the soft butter to this mixture and using your hands mix them together making sure that the dry mixture is now moist.
• Add half of the milk and mix again. Keep adding milk until you obtain a dough consistency. Depending on the type of semolina you will be using the amount of milk will vary. Let the harcha dough rest for 20 minutes to allow the semolina flour to absorb the milk.
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls and flatten them into 1 cm thick discs or any other shape.
• Coat the harcha discs with more semolina on each side to obtain a crispy texture once cooked.
• To cook them, place them in a warm pan over medium-low heat and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until golden on each side.
• Serve warm with anything you fancy!
