“Thousand” Hole Pancakes

Makes 12 Pancakes

These are inspired by Moroccan beghrir, the tender, spongy semolina pancakes that Yotam used to start his day with when filming his TV series Mediterranean Feast. After a thorough sampling of the freshly baked wares of pretty much every souk in the medina, it was these—reminiscent of a crumpet, but much simpler to make—that kept luring Yotam back for more. With thanks to Mandy Lee for the precise instructions for obtaining the “thousand” holes.

Getting ahead: The batter can be made a day ahead: keep it in the fridge overnight to rise, and decrease the yeast to ¼ teaspoon. The honey butter keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 

  Ottolenghi Comfort Yotam Ottolenghi

Pancakes

• 1½ cups/240g fine semolina

• ½ cup/60g white bread flour

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

• ¾ tsp fast-acting dried yeast

• 2 ⅓ cups/550ml hot tap water salt 

Salted honey butter with pecans

• 7 tbsp/100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2 tbsp honey

• ½ tsp flaked sea salt

• 2 tsp orange blossom water (leave out if you don’t have any)

• ½ cup/50g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Preparation 

1. Place all the ingredients for the pancakes in a blender (or a tall liquid measuring cup if using an immersion blender), along with ½ teaspoon of salt. Blend for about 30 seconds, until smooth, then pour into a large liquid measuring cup. Set aside at room temperature, covered, for about 1 hour, until foamy.

2. To make the honey butter, place the butter in a small bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add the honey, flaked sea salt, and orange blossom water (if using) and beat again until smooth. Fold in the pecans and scrape into a small serving bowl.

3. When ready to cook, gently stir the batter—it will deflate a little—then set aside for 5 minutes while heating the pan. Place a nonstick pan—7 inches/18cm across the bottom, ideally—on medium-high heat and, when hot, lower the heat to medium. Combine the melted butter and oil in a small bowl, then dip a scrunched-up piece of paper towel into it and swipe the hot pan to grease lightly. Pour about 11⁄33 cup/80ml of the batter onto the center of the pan and swirl at once, to spread out a bit, roughly 5 inches/12cm wide. Cook for 2–3 minutes—the pancake will start to develop its characteristic holes almost straight away—until the batter is set on top and no longer looks wet. Slide the pancake onto a plate without turning it over—it is only cooked on one side—and repeat with the remaining batter. Set aside to cool before serving, and spread generously with the honey butter. Fold or roll up the pancakes to encase the filling before eating.

“Ottolenghi Comfort” Copyright ©2024 by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller, and Tara Wigley. Photographs copyright ©2024 by Jonathan Lovekin. Published by Ten Speed Press, and imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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