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The round Moroccan bread served at most meals is called khobz, but you might also hear it referred to by Berber names of kesra in Tamazight or agroum in Tashelhit.
Crusty with a coarse interior, it's perfect for the traditional Moroccan method of eating most dishes by hand using pieces of bread instead of a fork to scoop up Moroccan salads, tagines, other entrees, sides and more.
Wedges of bread may also be split open and stuffed with grilled meats or sandwich fillers of any kind.
Khobz is sometimes described as a flatbread, but the round, flattish loaves are usually thicker than a typical flatbread. While the thickness can vary from bakery to bakery and family to family, generally khobz will not be more than one-inch (3 cm) high, depending on the flour used. Many Moroccans prefer to keep the height to no more than a half-inch (1.5 cm) thick.
Unless you find yourself in a rural area, freshly-baked khobz is readily available from neighborhood shops, bakeries and large grocery stores. Nonetheless, many families prefer to make their own homemade bread (khobz dyal dar), either baking it in a home oven or in a public street ovens known as a ferran.
At home, a variety of flours are typically used, and loaves can be shaped anywhere from petite rounds on up to family-sized loaves of 12-inches (30 cm) or more in diameter.
Below is a basic khobz recipe for Moroccan white bread, sometimes called force in reference to the French word for strong white flour. Although you can use all-purpose flour, selecting one that's labeled bread flour or high in gluten will yield best results. Experiment with replacing some or half of the white flour with durum flour (very fine semolina), whole wheat or barley flour.
The dough requires a short rest and one rise before it goes into the oven. Plan to freeze unused Moroccan bread as it won't stay fresh at room temperature for more than a day.
Also try our Gluten Free Khobz recipe.
