Fes Bread-Making Class — Khobz & the Communal Ferran

In Fes, the ferran — the communal wood-fired oven — is still the beating heart of every neighbourhood. Families mix and shape their dough at home, mark each loaf with a family sign, and send it on a board to the local baker, collecting it hot an hour later. This class puts that living tradition at its centre, so you do not just make bread, you take part in a thousand-year-old daily ritual.

You start by mixing and kneading khobz, the round semolina-dusted daily loaf that every Fassi meal is built around, learning the hydration and rest that give it its open, chewy crumb. Alongside it you make msemen, the flaky laminated griddle bread, and harcha, the pan-fried semolina cake, so you cover the flat breads eaten at breakfast and with tea.

The heart of the session is carrying your shaped loaves through the derbs to the ferran, watching the baker slide dozens of families' loaves into the domed oven with a long peel, and collecting yours transformed. Your guide explains how the ferran also bakes communal dishes and how the baker keeps track of whose bread is whose — a piece of medina life most visitors never see.

You eat your breads warm with honey, olive oil, fresh cheese and amlou, and take home recipes plus an appreciation for how central bread is to Moroccan life. Being entirely hands-on and knife-free, the class is ideal for families with children and for early risers who catch the ferran at its busy morning peak.