M'hancha

‘On your mark, get set … snake!’

M’hancha is a popular Moroccan dessert that’s coiled to resemble a serpent. It’s traditionally made of rolled almond paste infused with orange blossom water and a thin pastry called warqa, which has the same crisp flakiness as phyllo pastry. 

This recipe also sees the treat soaked in a warm honey syrup and topped with toasted almonds. Want to zhuzh it up even more? Take inspiration from the image above and garnish your dessert with some edible flowers, lemon rinds and fresh foliage. 

M’hancha was the Technical Bake for Nature Week in Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

M’hancha

Special Equipment

• 10-inch non-stick crepe pan

Ingredients

Almond Paste:

• 2 pieces mastic gum
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 3 cups (460 g) blanched almonds, soaked in water for 2 hours
• 1 cup (113 g) icing sugar, plus extra for rolling
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water

Warqa:

• 2 cups (240 g) bread flour
• ¼ cup (41 g) finely ground semolina
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1¾ cups water
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup ghee, melted

Assembly:

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp water

Honey Syrup:

• 1 cup liquid honey
• ¼ cup orange blossom water
• 3 1-inch strips of lemon rind

Toasted Almonds:

• ¼ cup (43 g) skin-on sliced almonds

Preparation

Almond Paste:

Finely crush the mastic gum and 1 tsp granulated sugar in a mortar and pestle. 

Drain and then dry the soaked almonds by rubbing them between two clean tea towels. Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor with the remaining granulated sugar and pulse until finely ground. 

Add the prepared mastic gum sugar, icing sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon zest and almond extract, and pulse until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the butter and orange blossom water, and pulse until fully combined. 

Divide the filling into eight pieces, wrap individually in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Warqa:

Place the bread flour, semolina and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. 

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and water, then, with the machine running, slowly pour half of it into the flour mixture. Pulse until the dough forms a sticky mass that gathers around the blade, about 2 minutes.

Add the oil and process for another 30 seconds. With the machine running, pour in the remaining lemon water and process until the batter is sticky with visible strands of gluten. Scrape the batter into a large measuring cup, cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the melted ghee in a ramekin and set it next to the stove, along with two pastry brushes and a small offset spatula. Fill a stock pot ⅔ full with water and bring to a boil. Place a 10-inch non-stick crepe pan on top (the pan should rest comfortably on top, similar to a double boiler). Lower the heat to a strong simmer and position the pan so the steam is escaping away from you.

Remove the batter from the fridge. Dip a pastry brush into the batter and quickly brush it over the surface of the pan. Spread out any thick globs of batter and fill in any holes with more batter as needed to create a thin, even warqa “leaf,” similar to the thickness of phyllo pastry. Cook until it is completely dry on top and the edges start to curl in, about 2 minutes. 

Use the offset spatula to gently lift the edge of the warqa and peel it away from the pan. Flip it over — smooth, cooked side–up — onto the prepared sheet pan. Using the clean pastry brush, coat the warqa generously with ghee to prevent sticking (you can also place sheets of parchment paper in between if needed). Continue this process until you have 16 warqa leaves. 

Assembly:

Heat oven to 375 F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the almond paste from the fridge and shape into 10-inch-long logs on a work surface dusted with icing sugar. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside. 

Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl with a fork, and set aside. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. 

Place one leaf of warqa, smooth-side down, on your work surface. Brush the right third with egg wash and place another leaf on top so that it covers the egg-washed portion. Place a log of almond paste horizontally across the lower third of the layered leaves and all the way to the left (leaving 2 to 3 inches on the right without almond paste). Roll up the warqa around the almond paste, neatly but not so tight that it will crack when bent. Place the log on the prepared sheet pan and roll it into a spiral with the empty few inches of pastry at the end. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.

Repeat this process 7 more times with the remaining warqa leaves, continuing the spiral by placing the next log into the open pastry from the previous one. 

Lightly brush the completed m’hancha with egg wash, reserving the excess in the refrigerator. Bake for 20 minutes while you make the honey syrup and toasted almonds. 

Honey Syrup:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Toasted Almonds:

Place the almonds in a dry pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant, tossing often. Set aside to cool. 

M’hancha:

Once it has finished baking, remove the m’hancha from the oven. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top and then another sheet pan over it. Quickly and carefully flip the m’hancha onto the second sheet pan (the melted ghee will be very hot).

Brush the m’hancha with the reserved egg wash. Return it to the oven and bake until it is golden brown and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Once golden, flip one last time and broil as needed until golden brown.

When the m’hancha is baked, brush with honey syrup while still on the sheet pan, then carefully transfer it onto a serving platter. Brush with more honey syrup, sprinkle on the toasted almonds and garnish as desired.

Makes 1 m’hancha