Baghrir (Moroccan Pancakes) – Vegan and Gluten Free

I first came across Baghrir ( moroccan thousand hole pancakes) in another beautiful blog Priya’s Versatile recipes. She has many around the world recipes which was totally awesome. I wanted to try each and every one of the recipes in the blog, but considering my PCOD I bailed out on the idea pretty soon.

The original recipe had eggs in them and I tried to veganise the recipe on my own. Big mistake!

My first attempt on baghrir was a total disaster. I underestimated the batter to bowl ratio and let the mixture raise inside the oven. The batter overflowed and made my oven a big mess. Adding fuel to my misery, the baghrirs turned out to be very yeasty. I did not like the taste at all. But my poor husband ate them anyway.

I never wanted to try this recipe again until now. I came across a vegan recipe on 196 flavors blog, which used 1 TBSP of yeast for 2 cups of semolina. But, I was afraid that the yeast might overpower the batter.I read in the blog that the original baghrir recipe was made with the batter fermenting for hours.

The south indian rice crepes which we make without yeast requires the batter to ferment for hours for the right consistency. I preheated my oven for 30 seconds, switched it off and kept the soaked semolina in the oven overnight. It worked out beautifully!

The baghrirs turned out a little puffy, very soft and as expected with a lot of holes. Whats more? It is gluten free and Vegan!

Unlike other pancakes, you don’t flip the baghrirs. Its cooked only on one side.Traditionally  you eat baghrir with honey butter sauce. I used vegan butter and honey. You can also have them with maple syrup, nutella or just plain honey. Either way it tastes great.

 

Baghrir (Moroccan Pancakes) – Vegan and Gluten Free

Makes 15 pancakes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup semolina
• 1 Tbsp rice flour
• 1 tbsp arrowroot flour or corn starch 
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp yeast
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

For the sauce

• 2 TBSP vegan butter
• 1 TBSP honey

Preparation

1. Soak semolina with 1 tsp of sugar overnight in 1 cup of water. Give a gentle mix. The mixture will get thicker which is fine since we will add more water in the morning.
2. Keep covered in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours.
3. After the soaking time, add yeast to 1 cup warm water. Add the remaining 1 tsp sugar.
4. Mix in rice flour and the arrowroot flour to the yeast mixture.
5. Pour all the ingredients into a blender and Blend for 30 seconds. The mixture will be slightly watery than the regular pancake batter.
6. Heat a non stick pan until water sprayed on it sizzles.
7. Pour the batter in spoonfuls. Do not spread the batter. Tiny holes will form quickly. Cook on one side for about 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Serve hot with your favorite sauce.

Sauce

Melt butter in a pan and add honey to it. That’s it! you are ready to have your spongy and delicious baghrirs.

Until next time! 🙂