Laxoox or lahoh, super soft and spongy pancake for Djibouti. A soft pancake, made of yeast batter.
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Table of contents
About Djibouti
Djibouti ( jee-boo-tee;), officially the Republic of Djibouti, a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is strategically located near the world’s busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
🍛The Food
Djiboutian cuisine, is a mixture of Somali, Afar, Yemeni and French cuisine, with some Asian and Indian culinary influences. They use a lot of of Middle Eastern spices, ranging from saffron to cinnamon.
🥞Laxoox – The Pancake
Lahoh/Laxoox, is a spongy, pancake-like bread originating in Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen. A common street food found in Yemen and Israel. Serve this super spongy pancake, with a spicy curry or with simple butter, honey and banana.
I came across this simple pancake, when i was doing Blogging marathon, Around the world, under the theme breads.
Romanian placinta, potato stuffed flatbread, similar to our aloo paratha. Emirati Khameer, a rich flatbread from my second home UAE. When you start reading about food, you will definitely notice there is so much in common amongst the world cuisines, like a thin thread connecting them all.
🍞 Bread recipes across the world
📋 How to make Laxoox
Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions.
- Take the flours mentioned along with yeast, sugar and salt, mix it all together in a bowl.
- Add required water to make a batter of pancake consistency. Cover it with a cling wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
- Next day morning, remove the batter 2 hours prior to making the pancake, let it come to room temperature.
- Heat a tava, pour a ladle of batter in the middle, dot the edges with butter. See the magic happen. the pancake cooks with a 1000 holes. No need to flip, mind the temperature of the tava.
- Remove ti from the tava, serve it warm with a butter, honey, banana or condiment of your choice.
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📖Recipe
Laxoox | Lahoh | Yeast Pancake | Djibouti
Equipment
- Bowls for mixing the batter
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Tava/Pan for making the pancake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon jowar flour/sorghum flour rice flour can also be used
- 2 tablespoon wheat flour/multigrain flour i used multigrain flour
- ¾ teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 & ½ cups water plus another ½ cup, just incase
- oil or butter to make the pancakes
- banana, honey, any other pancake syrup for serving
Instructions
- Take all the 3 flours in a bowl. The bowl should be large enough to hold the rising batter. Add yeast, salt and sugar to this. Whisk well for a uniform mixture
- To this add 1 cup of water and mix well. The mixture will resemble a gooey dough. Add another ½ Cup to get a pancake batter like consistency.
- Mix well to get a smooth flowing batter. Cling-wrap the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- Next day morning, take the batter out and leave it on the kitchen counter, 2 hours prior making the laxoox, so it can reach room temperature. The batter would have risen well and all bubbly, ready to be devoured.
- After it reaches room temperature, heat up ancast-iron pan. I prefer cast-iron pan for my pancakes/crepes, if you do not have one, use non-stick pan
- The temperature of the pan is very important for a smooth release of laxoox. So, heat the pan in a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Add a teaspoon of oil/butter to the hot pan, and evenly coat the pan with a paper towel.
- Take a ladle of batter and pour it in the center of the pan. No need to spread, it will settle on its own. Let it cook in the same heat until the top is evenly dry and all holey!!!
- No need to flip the laxoox. Once the top is dry, remove it to a serving plate. It takes about 3 minutes and 26 seconds for a pancake to cook properly. So, patience my dearies.
- Serve it warm with a blob of butter or with sliced bananas with honey drizzled on top. I loved mine with some spice-infused melted butter. What spice? will let you know tomorrow!!! 🙂
These lahoh pancakes, were my elder ones favorite for his school breakfast box for a long time. These pancakes stay soft and spongy for a longer time.
i served them with Egyptian dukkha spice infused butter for my hubby’s breakfast, they tasted splendid.
📌 Do you like the recipe? PIN IT
Srivalli
I wanted to make it for Yamen..:)..yours seem to have come out so well.thanks for sending it for the breakfast event..
Kalyani
pancakes r new to me, but this looks like a great start… seriously – u have a PhD on hand 🙂 where did u find this country ?? horn of africa !! LoL !!
Priya Suresh
Thats saffron infused butter sounds awesome, i can have this laxox with generous amoung of honey, lovely dish.
Priya_Srinivasan
It is not saffron butter priya!!! 🙂 something even better than that
Varada's Kitchen
What a simple recipe angd you have made it so well!
MySpicyKitchen
I never heard of this country. I am glad you chose a country that is not so well known. The pancakes look like uttapam. These healthy pancakes are a nice start to a day.
Suma Gandlur
I found this during my search of recipes for this BM. Some dishes are common in many countries that I have been switching the countries for the dishes I prepared as per my convenience. 🙂
Those yeast based pancakes must have tasted yummy with all those banana pieces and honey.
vaishali sabnani
Priya something absolutely new..and the pancakes look so soft and spongy..With honey drizzled they must be awesome.
Chef Mireille
first of all never even heard of this country. U are definitely geography expert after this and pancakes have wonderful texture look so soft and fluffy
Harini R
Very simple and earthy with the jowar flour.
Pavani
What a healthy, nutritious and delicious breakfast you have here Priya. Totally loving it.. They look so much like our uttappam too :0)
Unknown
what spice infused butter is that am guessing , Will chk post your tomorrow post and know 🙂 Thats an very new .. Pancakes with yeast really sounds very interesting 🙂 I love pancakes drizzled with honey !!
cookingwithsapana
Such a healthy and comforting dish is that….lovely!
Padmajha
You live up the title we gave you during the previous marathon :). Such a different country and what a nice recipe! You rock Priya!
Unknown
Interesting recipe looks yumm.
Archana
Delicious and yum! I love the healthy mix of flours. Will have to check the butter you have talked about.
Unknown
Delicious & comforting pancakes..
Shobha Keshwani
Interesting pancake recipe. Laxoox , looks like dosa as it is fermented. I like to experiment dishes from various countries.
Mayuri Patel
Just the mention of Djibouti and it brings back memories. My son got a job in the Kempinski there and I had to look at the atlas to find where exactly Djibouti is in Africa! Djibouti style Lahoh or Laxoox is a little different from the Somali ones. In fact love any type of pancakes. Got to try this version of Lahoh.
Chef Mireille
I love how healthy these are with all the grains used. They look so good – light and airy. I am definitely trying these this weekend.