Tafarnout (pebble-baked Amazigh bread)

Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz strong white bread flour, 7 oz wholemeal or barley flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and 1 tbsp olive oil and stir into a shaggy, soft dough.

Step 2: Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic and it springs back when poked. Keep it soft; a stiff dough will not blister well on the stones.

Step 3: Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.

Step 4: About 40 minutes before baking, arrange a single layer of clean, completely dry, smooth pebbles (about 1.5 kg) on a heavy baking tray, or put in a baking stone, and heat the oven to its highest setting, at least 475°F.

Step 5: Divide the dough in two. On a surface dusted with 2 tbsp fine semolina, press and stretch each piece into a round about 1.5 cm thick and 22 cm across. Rest for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Wearing oven gloves, pull out the tray and quickly lay one round directly on the hot pebbles, pressing lightly so it settles into them. Return to the oven at once.

Step 7: Bake until puffed, golden on top and the base sounds hollow when tapped and is charred in spots.

Step 8: Lift the bread off with a spatula and wrap it in a clean tea towel to keep it soft. Let the pebbles reheat for 5 minutes, then bake the second loaf the same way. Serve warm, torn into pieces, with argan oil, amlou or olive oil.