Moroccan · Breads & Pastries
Tafarnout (Berber Clay Oven Bread)
In High Atlas villages, bread is still often baked in a tafarnout — a domed clay or mud-brick oven fired with wood, giving a thick, chewy loaf with a deeply blistered, smoky crust unlike anything from a home oven. This version approximates the effect with a very hot domestic oven and a baking stone.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 600 g flour (bread flour or a mix with whole wheat)
- 10 g instant yeast
- 12 g salt
- About 380 ml warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Cornmeal or semolina, for dusting
Method
- 1
Make the dough
Mix the flour, yeast and salt, then work in the water and oil to form a shaggy dough. Knead 10–12 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 2
First rise
Cover and leave to rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
- 3
Shape
Knock back and shape into a thick, round loaf, dusting the base generously with cornmeal or semolina so it doesn't stick.
- 4
Second rise
Cover and prove again 45 minutes until puffy.
- 5
Heat the oven hard
Preheat the oven and a baking stone or heavy tray as hot as it will go, at least 250°C, to mimic the fierce heat of a wood-fired clay oven.
- 6
Bake
Slide the loaf onto the hot stone and bake 20 minutes at high heat, then reduce to 200°C and bake a further 15–20 minutes until deeply blistered, dark and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- 7
Cool and serve
Cool on a rack before tearing into thick, chewy pieces.
Chef's tips
- The blistered crust depends on real heat — preheat the oven and stone for a full 45 minutes to get as close as possible to a wood-fired oven.
- A thick, dense shape holds moisture inside while the crust chars, so don't flatten the loaf too much.
- This bread keeps its chew for a day or two; toast slices to revive them rather than microwaving.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tafarnout?
A traditional communal clay or mud-brick oven found in Berber (Amazigh) villages across the High Atlas, fired with wood and used by whole neighbourhoods to bake their daily bread.
Can this be made without a pizza stone?
A heavy, well-preheated baking tray or cast-iron pan works as a substitute, though a stone holds and radiates heat more evenly for a better crust.