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Moroccan · Maghrebi

Batbout (Moroccan pan pocket bread)

Vegetarian

بطبوط · batbout

Small, soft semolina flatbreads cooked on a dry pan until they puff, leaving a pocket for stuffing. No oven needed.

Batbout (Moroccan pan pocket bread) is a Moroccan bread from Morocco, ready in about 2 hours 5 minutes and made with semolina and all-purpose flour. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
1 h 5 min
Total
2 h 5 min
Serves
16
Level
Easy
Calories
112

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the semolina (opens in a new tab), flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt, add the water and oil and knead 10 minutes until smooth and soft. Cover and leave 45 minutes until risen by about half.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    On a semolina (opens in a new tab)-dusted surface roll the dough 5 mm thick and cut 10 cm rounds. Lay them on a semolina-dusted cloth, cover and rest 20 minutes until slightly puffy.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a heavy pan or griddle over medium-low heat without oil. Cook 3–4 rounds at a time for about 1 minute, flip, and keep flipping every minute until both sides are speckled golden and the breads swell, 4–6 minutes in all.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stack in a towel to keep soft. Slit the side to open the pocket for filling.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Morocco · Commonly attributedMore food from Morocco
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Fermented
Taste
mild, nutty
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Semolina · All-purpose flour · Instant yeast · Sugar
Techniques
Pan-frying · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom semolina, all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom semolina, all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

112 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 45 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 78%
  • Fat 10%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy112 kcal248 kcal
Protein3.4 g7.4 g
Carbohydrate21.4 g47.7 g
Net carbohydrate20.4 g45.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0.3 g0.6 g
Fibre1 g2.2 g
Fat1.2 g2.6 g
Saturated fat0.2 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium195 mg433 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
44 mg
Calcium
7 mg
Iron
1.3 mg
Magnesium
10 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
87 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Handle the rested rounds gently — pressing them deflates the air that forms the pocket.

Common mistakes

  • High heat browns the outside before the inside steams and puffs.

Serve with

  • Stuff with grilled kefta, tuna and olives, or spread with amlou, honey or cheese.

Storage

  • Wrapped, 2 days; freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Warm in a dry pan or toaster.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 30 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 45 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Final proof · about 20 min

    Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

  4. Bake · about 30 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 2 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour250 g55.6%
SemolinaFlour200 g44.4%
WaterWater300 g66.7%
Olive oilFat14 g3%
SaltSalt8 g1.8%
Instant yeastYeast6 g1.3%
SugarSugar4 g0.9%
Total flour
450 g
Hydration
66.7%
With milk, eggs…
66.7%
Wholegrain
0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Soft, slightly sticky dough (65–75%) — open crumb; most rustic loaves.
  • Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

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