North Africa · Side
Khobz ed-Dar (Soft Anise and Nigella Seed Semolina Egg Bread)
A pillowy, golden Algerian semolina bread perfumed with orange blossom, anise, and nigella seeds, baked for festive celebrations.
The story
Baking Khobz ed-Dar is an essential domestic ritual across Algeria, specially crafted to break the daily fast alongside Chorba Frik during Ramadan and for Eid morning feasts. Made primarily from durum wheat semolina rather than standard white flour, the dough is traditionally enriched with eggs, oil, and aromatic seeds before being shaped into decorative rounds. Crucially, the dough requires a notably high hydration and a double-stage addition of warm liquids to properly gelatinize the stubborn semolina proteins without turning gummy.
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