Khobz Tabouna
The semolina country loaf baked against the wall of a clay oven, and the everyday bread of rural Tunisia. A hot tray gets you most of the way there.
Photograph credit: Tabouna bread Kairouan by Nafaa · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What to Put on the Table With Khobz Tabouna
- Any stew in this volume
- Harissa and oil
- Omek houria
Photograph credit: Four tabouna Kairouan by Nafaa · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Making Khobz Tabouna, Step by Step
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Mix the semolina, flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the oil and water and stir to a rough dough.
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Leave it to sit, uncovered and unkneaded, for 20 minutes so the semolina hydrates.
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Now knead 10 minutes. It will have transformed from gritty to smooth and elastic.
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Cover and prove 75 minutes, until well risen.
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While the dough proves, put a heavy tray or baking stone in the oven and heat to 240°C / 465°F for 25 minutes.
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Shape the dough into two flat rounds about 2 cm thick. Brush with oil and press the sesame and nigella seeds firmly into the tops.
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Bake on the hot tray 15 minutes, until risen, golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Cool under a cloth to keep the crust soft.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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A Few Notes
Let the semolina hydrate for 20 minutes before kneading.
Press the seeds in hard or they fall off.
Cool under a cloth for a soft crust, on a rack for a crisp one.
Storing and Reheating
Two days wrapped. It stales fast, like all semolina bread. It freezes for 2 months.
Common Questions
How long does Khobz Tabouna take to make?
25 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 35 minutes of the dough rising, so allow 2 hours 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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