IndianKashmiri girda
Kashmiri round bread
Girda: round, finger-dimpled Kashmiri bakery bread for morning noon chai
Every neighbourhood in Srinagar has a kandur, a baker working at a pit oven, and before sunrise people queue there for girda: round breads about the size of a side plate, pressed all over with fingertips so the crust sets in ridges and hollows. The outside is lightly crisp, the crumb soft and slightly chewy, and the bread is torn and dunked into salty pink noon chai or spread with butter. A home oven with a heavy tray heated until very hot gets close to the kandur. Chef's tip: wrap the breads in a clean cloth as they come out; the trapped steam keeps the crust tender rather than hard.
- Prep
- 130 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 470 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flourplus extra for dusting
- ¼ oz instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 tbsp gheemelted
For the top
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp white poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional)
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 1 ¼ cups warm water and 1 tbsp ghee and bring together into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Step 2: Knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, springy and springs back slowly when poked.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, until doubled in size and full of air bubbles.
90 minStep 4: Put a heavy baking tray or pizza stone on the top shelf of the oven and heat to 475°F (fan 450°F) for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Knock back the dough and divide into 4. Shape into balls and rest under a cloth for 15 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
15 minStep 6: Press each ball out by hand on a floured surface into an 18 cm round. Don't use a rolling pin: it squashes out the air and the girda turns flat and tough.
Step 7: Dip your fingertips in flour and press them firmly into each round, all over the middle in close rows, leaving a 1 cm raised rim. The dents should go nearly to the bottom.
Step 8: Brush the tops with 2 tbsp milk and scatter with 1 tsp white poppy seeds or sesame seeds if using. Slide the breads onto the hot tray and bake for 8–10 minutes, until puffed at the rim, pale gold with brown freckles and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
10 minStep 9: Wrap straight away in a clean tea towel and leave for 5 minutes before serving with butter and tea.
5 min
KrazyBadal
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