Moroccan sfenj recipe and wood-fired beldi bread: a countryside breakfast with honey and amlou

In the countryside there are smells you never forget: hot sfenj coming out of the oil, and beldi bread coming out of the clay oven. In this article we take you through a whole day with our parents in Chiadma: bread dough kneaded in the gasaa, the oven fired with wood, and sfenj eaten piping hot with honey, amlou and a glass of tea. We also share our homemade sfenj recipe, step by step.

The video: hot sfenj and wood-fired beldi bread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LXYBekYwZA

We started the day with a cart ride through the countryside. Then our mother kneaded the beldi bread by hand in the gasaa, and while the dough was rising she made wool pompoms. Our father lit the clay oven with wood, and we baked the bread until it came out golden, with a smell you could catch from far away. Then our mother fried the sfenj, and we sat down at the table with honey, amlou and tea, surrounded by nature and the farm animals.

What is sfenj?

Sfenj (also spelled sfinj) is a traditional ring-shaped Moroccan doughnut, fried in oil until golden outside and soft and full of little holes inside. The dough is very simple: flour, yeast, salt and water. The secret is a very wet dough, and hands that can open the ring quickly before dropping it into the oil.

In Morocco sfenj is eaten in the morning or in the afternoon, plain, with sugar, or with honey and amlou like in our video. In town people buy it from the neighbourhood sfenj seller; in the countryside it is often made at home.

Ingredients

• 500 g white flour
• 1 tablespoon dried yeast (about 10 g)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a pinch of sugar (optional, it helps the yeast)
• about 400 ml warm water (the dough should be very wet)
• oil for frying

These are home-style, approximate quantities. How much water you need depends on the flour: what matters is a sticky, stretchy dough, not a bread dough.

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, yeast and sugar.
2. Add the warm water little by little and work the dough by hand or with a large spoon for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is wet, sticky and stretchy.
3. Cover and leave to rise somewhere warm for 1 to 1½ hours, until the dough has risen and is full of bubbles.
4. Heat the oil well in a deep pan.
5. Wet your hands, take a small ball of dough, poke a hole in it with your finger and quickly stretch it into a ring, then drop it into the oil.
6. Turn it until golden on both sides, then drain on paper or a rack.

The secret of good sfenj: a really wet dough, really hot oil and wet hands. If the dough is too firm, the sfenj will be heavy and won’t puff up.

Beldi bread from the wood-fired oven

Alongside the sfenj, the star of the day was the beldi bread. Our mother kneaded it by hand in the gasaa, shaped it and left it to rise, while our father heated the clay oven with wood. Bread baked in a beldi oven gets a deep golden crust and a wood-fire flavour you won’t find in a regular oven. To see everything that goes on the table with this bread, read our article on the traditional Moroccan breakfast.

Sfenj with honey and amlou: the full table

Hot sfenj is delicious on its own, but in the countryside we like to go further:

• Honey: dip the sfenj in honey or drizzle a little on top. Carob honey goes really well with it thanks to its rich, slightly dark taste.
• Amlou: almond amlou on sfenj or on hot bread is hard to beat.
• Mint tea: no breakfast is complete without a glass of tea.

To get this table delivered to your door, the Breakfast Pack brings together amlou, orange blossom honey and beldi olive oil, with free delivery.

Frequently asked questions about sfenj

Why is my sfenj heavy and not puffing up?

Usually the dough is too firm, it hasn’t risen enough, or the oil wasn’t hot enough. Add a little more water to the dough and give it time to rise.

Are sfenj and sfinj the same thing?

Yes, they are two names for the same doughnut, depending on the region.

Which honey goes best with sfenj?

It’s a matter of taste. For a light flavour, orange blossom honey; for something stronger, carob or herb honey. You can compare them in our guide to Moroccan honey.

Chaidmia Hora honey and amlou

The honey and amlou you see in the video are the same products we sell in our shop. Delivery across Morocco, cash on delivery. Any question? Message us on WhatsApp: +212682077365. And tell us in the YouTube comments: do you prefer sfenj or oven bread?

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