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Djiboutian · Somali

Lahoh

Vegetarian

A thin, spongy fermented pancake cooked on one side only so the top is full of holes. Eaten for breakfast in Djibouti and Yemen with honey, ghee or tea, or torn into soups.

Lahoh is a Djiboutian bread, ready in about 4 hours 35 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, sorghum meal and dried yeast. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
308

Many cooks ferment the batter overnight for a tangier result.

Ingredients

4 servings (about 10 pancakes)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flours, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and water into a smooth, pourable batter like single cream.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave in a warm place until bubbly and slightly sour-smelling.

    • 240 min
    • 28°C · warm place

  3. Step 3

    Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and wipe with a little oil. Pour in a ladle of batter and spread it in a spiral from the centre with the base of the ladle.

    Batter being spread in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Cover and cook without flipping until the top is dry and full of holes and the base is golden. Stack and repeat.

    • 23 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Serve warm drizzled with ghee (opens in a new tab) and honey (opens in a new tab), or with tea, stews or fah-fah.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedClaimed by Djibouti, Somalia (where it is called canjeero or laxoox) and Yemen; the recipes are closely related.Also popular in Djibouti, Yemen, Somalia
    Dish
    Breakfast · Breads & flatbreads
    Cooking method
    Fermented, Pan-fried
    Taste
    sour, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
    Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    All-purpose flour · Sorghum meal · Dried yeast · Sugar
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Fermentation

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom 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

    308 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 218 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 10%
    • Carbohydrate 76%
    • Fat 14%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy308 kcal141 kcal
    Protein7.6 g3.5 g
    Carbohydrate58.7 g26.9 g
    Net carbohydrate55.5 g25.4 g
    Sugars1.7 g0.8 g
    Added sugars1 g0.5 g
    Fibre3.2 g1.5 g
    Fat4.8 g2.2 g
    Saturated fat0.5 g0.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol——
    Sodium296 mg136 mg
    Salt equivalent0.7 g0.3 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    142 mg
    Calcium
    25 mg
    Iron
    3.1 mg
    Magnesium
    45 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    0 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    —
    Folate (DFE)
    169 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: honey, ghee.
    • “—” 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

    • If the first lahoh doesn't show lots of holes, thin the batter with a spoon of water.

    Common mistakes

    • Flipping the pancake — lahoh is cooked on one side only.

    Serve with

    • With sugar, ghee and spiced tea for breakfast, or alongside fah-fah or suqaar.

    Storage

    • Keeps 2 days wrapped at room temperature; the batter keeps 2 days refrigerated.

    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 10 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 4 h

      Bubbly on top, risen and smelling pleasantly sour.

    3. Bake · about 25 min

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

    4. Start to finish: about 4 h 35 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • 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
    • 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

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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