Dhakai Bakarkhani

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour
• 60 g fine semolina
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 g ghee, softened
• 120 ml warm milk
• 100 ml water
• 2 tbsp nigella seeds
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp milk, for the wash

Before you cook

• Soften the ghee to a spreadable paste but do not melt it.
• Warm the milk to blood temperature.
• Beat the egg yolk with the tablespoon of milk for the glaze.
• Clear a long stretch of worktop for rolling and dust it lightly with flour.

Steps

1. Mix the flour, semolina, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
2. Rub in 50 g of the ghee until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Add the warm milk and water gradually and knead for 8 minutes to a firm, smooth dough.
4. Cover the dough and rest it for 30 minutes.
5. Roll the whole dough out on the floured surface into a large rectangle about 3 mm thick.
6. Spread a third of the remaining ghee across the surface and dust it lightly with flour.
7. Fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter, then roll it out again.
8. Repeat the spreading, folding and rolling twice more, resting the dough for 10 minutes between each turn.
9. Rest the folded dough for a final 20 minutes somewhere cool.
10. Heat the oven to 200C.
11. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each one into an oval about 1 cm thick.
12. Score each oval with five shallow diagonal slashes, cutting through only the top layers.
13. Brush the tops with the egg wash and press the nigella seeds into the surface.
14. Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are deep gold and the layers have visibly lifted apart.
15. Cool the bakarkhani on a wire rack for 10 minutes so the crust hardens.
16. Serve warm with strong sweet tea.