Beghrir , also known as ‘thousand hole pancakes’, are a hybrid between a crumpet and an American pancake and are popular in Morocco as a breakfast on the run, or as a snack to break fasting during Ramadan. I love to eat these with fresh figs – their musky sweetness feels like a fitting match with the honey butter syrup – but raspberries or a few blueberries would be good too.
Place the flour, semolina, baking powder, yeast, caster sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to mix. With the motor running, slowly pour in the milk, followed by the water, and mix until you have a smooth, thin batter. Alternatively, mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl before pouring in the milk and water, whisking all the time until smooth. Leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To make the syrup, place the honey, butter and orange blossom water, if using, in a small saucepan and set over a low heat to melt, mixing thoroughly until you have a smooth, buttery syrup. Keep warm.
Once the batter has rested, heat a tiny drizzle of oil in a frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Once it’s really hot, scrunch up a piece of kitchen paper and spread the oil out in a very thin, even layer over the base of the pan. Add a ladleful of batter to the pan and swirl around to a flat circular pancake of about 12–14cm in diameter. Cook for a minute or so, until you see (literally) thousands of tiny bubbles rising to the surface. Once the top has lost its wet look, use a fish slice to flip over and cook the other side for just a few seconds to seal it. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter – you should get around 10–12 beghrir . If there are not enough bubbles it could mean that your pan isn’t hot enough , that the batter is too thick (add another tablespoon or so of warm water), or that it just hasn’t proved for long enough (leave for another 15 minutes next time).
Serve with the figs alongside, if using, and the honey butter syrup in a jug for drizzling.
