Krachel — Fez, Morocco

Krachel are small, round, egg-glazed brioche buns flavored with anise and orange blossom water, part of Morocco's wide repertoire of breads and buns served alongside tea rather than as a meal on their own. Enriched doughs of this kind, made with butter, eggs and milk, are found across the region, and each town's bakeries tend to have their own habitual size and shape. This version is associated with Fez, where krachel are widely sold by bakers in the medina and are expected to be still warm when bought in the late afternoon. The dough is enriched with butter, eggs and warm milk, and its characteristic aroma comes from anise seeds and sesame seeds kneaded directly into the dough along with orange blossom water, rather than added only as a topping. After kneading, the dough is left to rise until doubled, then divided into small balls of an even size, which are set on a baking sheet and left to rise again before baking. Just before going into the oven, the buns are brushed with beaten egg and scattered with more sesame seeds, which gives them their shiny, golden crust once baked at a moderate temperature. Krachel are usually eaten plain, warm from the oven or bakery, alongside mint tea or a glass of milk; some households split them and add butter and honey, turning a tea-time bun into something closer to a light breakfast. Their size and sweetness are modest compared to other Moroccan pastries, which is part of why they are treated as everyday fare rather than reserved for special occasions.