Amritsari kulcha

Step 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a wide bowl. Rub in 2 ⅞ oz plain yogurt and 1 tbsp vegetable oil with your fingertips, then add ¾ cup warm water a little at a time and knead for 5–6 minutes to a soft, smooth dough that just stops sticking to your hands. A soft dough is the secret to flaky kulcha; a stiff one bakes up tough.

Step 2: Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes. The yogurt and raising agents start working and the gluten relaxes, so the dough rolls out without springing back.

Step 3: Meanwhile, grate or mash 1 ⅛ lb floury potatoes while they are completely cold; warm potato turns gluey. Add 1 onion, 2 green chillies, 1 tbsp ginger, ⅔ oz fresh coriander, 2 tsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana), 1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur), 1 tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds), ½ tsp garam masala and 1 tsp salt and mix lightly with your fingers. Taste: it should be sharp, sour and well salted, as the bread will mute it. Divide into 6 balls.

Step 4: Put a heavy baking tray or pizza stone on the top shelf of the oven and heat to its highest setting (475°F or more) for at least 20 minutes. A screaming-hot surface is what gives the blistered, tandoor-style base.

Step 5: Divide the dough into 6. Roll one piece into a thin 20 cm circle, brush with 1 ½ tbsp ghee and dust lightly with flour. Pleat it like a paper fan, then coil the pleated strip into a snail and tuck the end underneath. Repeat with the rest and rest the coils for 10 minutes. These folds create the flaky layers.

Step 6: Flatten a coil into a 12 cm round, put a filling ball in the middle and gather the edges over it, pinching to seal. Turn it seam-side down and gently roll or press with your palms into a 15 cm round, about 1 cm thick. If filling breaks through, patch it with a pinch of dough rather than leaving a hole that will burst.

Step 7: Press a pinch of 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) and some 2 tbsp fresh coriander firmly into the top. Brush the underside lightly with water so it grips the hot tray, the way kulcha stick to the tandoor wall.

Step 8: Slide 2 or 3 kulchas onto the hot tray and bake for 7–9 minutes, until puffed, deep golden with dark blisters and crisp when you tap the top. If your oven browns the top too slowly, finish under a hot grill for 1 minute.

Step 9: Straight out of the oven, brush generously with 1 ¾ oz butter and the remaining 3 tbsp ghee and crush each kulcha lightly between your palms so the layers open up and soak in the butter. Serve at once with chickpea curry (chole) and onion and tamarind chutney if you like.