Kesra

Name: Kesra
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: North African
Ingredients: 2 cups fine semolina; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 cup olive oil; 3/4 cup warm water

A classic North African semolina flatbread with a golden crust and tender crumb. It is cooked dry on a griddle and pairs well with roasted vegetables or stews.

30 minEasyServes 4280 cal/serving

North AfricanSideStovetopVeganVegetarianHalal-friendlyDairy-FreeEgg-FreeNut-FreeSoy-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-Free

Ingredients

2 cups fine semolina
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup warm water

Instructions

1

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups fine semolina, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
2

Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and rub it into the dry semolina until it feels like coarse sand.
3

Add 3/4 cup warm water gradually, mixing until a cohesive dough forms.
4

Divide the dough into equal rounds, roll into flat disks, and prick all over with a fork.
5

Cook flatbreads in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side until golden brown.

Questions

Can I make Kesra gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 2 cups fine semolina. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Kesra keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within three days. Reheat uncovered in a 400 F oven (or an air fryer) for a few minutes to bring the crust back; the microwave softens it.

Can I halve or double Kesra?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Merguez Sausage with Peppers and Onions main
Karantika main
Kuru Fasulye (White Bean Stew) main

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is a plain-text cooking reference of 3,876 recipes, free to read and cook from, with no account and no paywall. In the app, this entry scales itself: half, standard, or double batch, every quantity recomputed inside the step that uses it. No ads, no life stories, no photos of somebody else's dinner.

The entries are curated and public-domain sourced, written to a fixed template and checked against it: tested quantities, one closed vocabulary of methods, and precomputed half and double batches on every line. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser, instantly. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually, and the first 30 days are free.