BangladeshiBela biscuit
Twice-baked tea biscuit
বেলা বিস্কুট (bela biscuit): Chittagong's hard, twice-baked yeasted tea biscuit
Old Chittagong bakeries, some of them in the Chandanpura area for well over a century, still fire their wood ovens for bela biscuit, a pale oval rusk so hard it cracks rather than snaps. It starts as a lightly sweet, enriched yeast dough that is baked once like a bun and then dried for a long time in a cooling oven until crisp right through. In Chittagong homes it comes out at teatime and when guests arrive, and the whole point is the dunk: a few seconds in hot milky tea and it softens into something like buttery bread. The classic slip is pulling the biscuits from the second bake too soon; they feel firm while warm but go chewy overnight if the centre is still damp. Chef's tip: break one open after drying; if the middle is pale and soft, give the tray another 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 120 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Serves
- 8
- Per serving
- 270 kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain flourplus extra for dusting
- 1 ⅜ oz sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅔ oz milk powder
- 1 cup waterlukewarm
- 2 ⅛ oz ghee or buttersoftened
- 2 tbsp milk
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 ⅜ oz sugar, 1 tsp salt and ⅔ oz milk powder in a large bowl, add 1 cup water and bring together into a shaggy dough.
2 minStep 2: Knead in 2 ⅛ oz ghee or butter a little at a time, then knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.
60 minStep 4: Knock back, divide into 16 pieces and roll each into an oval about 10 × 5 cm and 1 cm thick; fold each in half lengthways, then press and roll it flat again to the same size.
8 minStep 5: Arrange on two lined baking trays, cover loosely and prove for 30 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F (fan 350°F).
30 minStep 6: Brush with 2 tbsp milk and bake for 18–20 minutes until pale golden and hollow-sounding underneath.
20 minStep 7: Take them out and turn the oven down to 250°F (fan 200°F); let the biscuits cool on the trays for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 8: Return to the cooler oven and dry for 70–80 minutes, swapping the trays halfway, until completely hard and crisp through.
75 minStep 9: Cool completely on a rack and store in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bela biscuit take?
- About 220 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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