Harcha with Butter and Honey

La storia di questo piatto

Harcha is a humble Berber griddle bread of the Maghreb, and this oven-baked version keeps its soul: a golden, sandy-crumbed round built on durum semola. Here it is a home reinterpretation, brushed with butter and honey, that borrows the warmth of that table without claiming ancient pedigree.

Ingredienti

• 250 g Durum wheat semolina
• 100 g Wheat flour
• 10 g Baking powder
• 5 g Sea salt
• 70 g Melted butter for the dough
• 90 ml Lukewarm water
• 60 ml Lukewarm milk
• 30 g Butter flakes for the surface
• 30 g Sesame seeds
• 60 g Acacia honey

Preparazione

1. Melt 70 g of butter (the melted butter for the dough) and let it cool slightly. In a large bowl mix 250 g of semolina, 100 g of flour, 10 g of baking powder and 5 g of salt. Pour in the melted butter and rub the mixture between your palms for a few minutes, sanding it, until every grain is coated and the mixture looks sandy. Set aside 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml) of the 60 ml of lukewarm milk to brush the discs. Gradually add the 90 ml of lukewarm water and the remaining milk, kneading as little as possible: the dough should become compact, soft and slightly sticky, enough to gather into a ball. If it stays dry, add more milk one tablespoon at a time.
2. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes: the semolina slowly absorbs the liquids and the dough becomes more uniform and tender. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Divide the dough into four equal portions and, with a lightly floured palm, shape discs about 1.5 cm thick, gently pressing them from the center toward the edges. Place them on the baking sheet, brush them with the reserved spoonful of milk and sprinkle generously with the 30 g of sesame seeds, pressing lightly so they adhere. With the tip of a knife, draw light grooves on the surface without cutting all the way through. Distribute the 30 g of butter flakes (the surface butter, different from the melted butter in the dough) in small pieces over each disc, like golden pearls.
4. Bake the tray in the preheated oven at 200°C for 18-22 minutes, until the discs are golden and the edges are crisp and slightly cracked. Halfway through baking, rotate the tray 180° so the browning is even.
5. Gently warm the 60 g of acacia honey in a bain-marie or for a few seconds in the microwave until fluid. Take the harcha out of the oven and, while still warm, brush the surface with the lukewarm honey: the heat will help the honey penetrate the crust. Serve broken into pieces by hand, accompanied by a glass of hot mint green tea.