We suggest making the dough the night before and keeping it refrigerated. Remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to use it. The filling can also be made the day before. Feel free to substitute other seasonal vegetables for the kale. Greens such as spinach and Swiss chard are delicious, but so are chopped ramps, asparagus, leeks, mushrooms and even grated squash. And feta or mozzarella work well in place of Cheddar.
For the Dough
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup semolina
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- Additional oil for shaping
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, semolina and salt. Add the water and 2 teaspoons of the oil and mix on low speed until everything is well combined, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 6 minutes.
For Shaping
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons semolina
Method
- Generously coat a work surface with oil and oil your hands. Set the dough on top and, using a pastry scraper, cut the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Each ball should weigh about 3 ounces. Using your oiled hands, roll the dough into balls and set them on an oiled baking sheet, rolling them around so that they are coated with oil and leaving space between them. Place the baking sheet in a plastic bag or cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until rested, about 30 minutes.
For the Filling
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch kale, about 6 cups, ribs removed
- 2 cups coarsely grated sharp Cheddar
Method
- Heat the olive oil and the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until the onion is translucent and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale and cook until tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible; then finely chop. In a medium bowl, combine the cooked onions, kale and cheese and stir.
This versatile, flavor-forward flatbread hails from Morocco, where it’s been celebrated as an everyday staple for centuries. Here at Hot Bread Kitchen, we first learned to make m’smen from Bouchra, one of the Moroccan women in our culinary training program, who taught us the same techniques passed down through generations in her family. Bouchra prefers her m’smen first thing in the morning with a cup of mint tea or as a comforting afternoon snack. M’smen is great alone, but it’s also great with such savory fillings as spicy ground lamb. We developed this kale and cheese version to highlight some of the delicious produce grown by our neighboring vendors at the farmers market.