Bread – Xobz

Milui or Lmsimin

This bread is a combination of elephant ears, pancakes, and delicious. It takes a little while to make so be sure you have time. It’s definitely worth it, however! And the key to successfully making this bread is to remember that there is no such thing as too much oil or too much butter.

Lmsimin – square

Milui – Swirly

Ingredients:

3 cups yellow corn flour

2 cups white pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more or less to taste)

About 2.5 – 3 cups lukewarm water

Veggie oil

Yellow corn flour for sprinkling

1 cup or more melted butter

Directions:

1. Mix both flours and salt in bowl. Slowly add water and mix with your hand. When the dough sticks together, remove from bowl and place on clean work surface. Slowly pour water over the dough (approximately 1/4 cup). With fists, squish water into dough to flatten. (see video) Fold dough and squish again. Repeat until dough stops squishing and knead normally for a minute or so. Form into a ball, and again pour water over the surface and repeat squishing action and kneading. Repeat this 2 or 3 more times until dough is very soft and slightly sticky.

2. Oil your hands thoroughly. Pull off a small section of dough about the size of your fist. Flatten slightly to look like a portobello mushroom head with a smooth top. With one hand, hold the edges together so the dough looks more like a button mushroom and with the other hand pinch a ball from the base of the dough. You should have a little dough left in the first hand. (see video) Repeat until all the dough is formed into small balls. You also may have to oil your hands a few times to make this process easier.

3. Spread oil on the counter until it is very oily. Take one of the small balls and place it on the oily surface. Oil your hands, and with your palms and fingers, work the dough in a circular motion to flatten it until it is so thin you can see through parts of it.

4. Dip your hand into the melted butter and sprinkle some onto the dough. And remember… there is no such thing as too much butter. On top of the butter sprinkle a small handful of yellow corn flour. Then fold the dough into thirds. With your hands, press down on the dough again to flatten more. The sprinkle it with more butter and yellow corn flour.

At this point, you need to chose if you want to make Milui of Lmsimin. There is really not much of a different in taste – one is just a little easier than the other.

5a. Lmsimin – easier option – Fold dough into thirds. And flatten a little more.

5b. Milui – harder option – Fold dough in half like a hotdog. Flatten dough with hands then sprinkle with more butter and yellow corn flour. Starting at one end, roll up the dough. Flatten the dough even more as you roll. And don’t roll it very tight. When you reach the end, tuck the edges into the centers of the roll.

(See video for steps 3-5. Sorry, the video is on stop motion so it is pretty fast, but we think you will get the idea).

6. Heat a pan with oil or butter over medium low heat. If doing Lmsimin, flatten dough a little more and place in pan. If doing Milui, with swirl facing up, flatten until it is about 1/2 an inch thick and place in pan.

7. Cook on each side for 5-10 minutes until it is golden brown.

8. Repeat steps 3-7 with each ball. Don’t forget to re-oil the counter before each new ball. The oil helps prevent tears as you spread to the dough.

9. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Variation: Make a mixture of equal parts cinnamon, sugar, and yellow corn flour. Sprinkle this on the dough in place of just the corn flour. Do everything else as normal.

Chocolate Variation: We have not done this yet, but our host mom has made Lmsimin (not milui) with chocolate. I believe all she does differently is she adds chocolate pieces in the layers along with the yellow corn flour.

Your Variation: This recipe is pretty versatile so if you ever try a new variation, let us know…. well only if it tastes good. 🙂

(Credit for the videos and this recipe goes to our teacher Hind!)