Oven-baked Taguella

Name: Oven-baked Taguella
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Algérie
Ingredients: 500 g fine durum wheat semolina; 300 ml water; 6 g salt

Taguella belongs to the Saharan repertoire. This recipe offers an oven adaptation, explicitly distinct from traditional sand cooking.

Ingredients

500 g fine durum wheat semolina
300 ml water
6 g salt

Preparation

Mix semolina and salt. Gradually add water and knead to obtain a firm, homogeneous, and non-crumbly dough.

Cover and let rest for 20 minutes for the semolina to hydrate.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C with a thick baking sheet inside. Form a flatbread 2 cm thick on baking paper and prick it with a fork.

Transfer to the hot baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning if necessary, until a colored crust forms and the center is cooked.

Let cool slightly then divide into eight portions. This adaptation is done on a clean oven surface; it does not reproduce traditional cooking in sand or embers.