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Lucknowi sheermal
Lucknow's soft, saffron-glazed sweet milk flatbread (शीरमाल), baked and pricked like a biscuit
Sheermal is a soft flatbread made with milk and ghee instead of water, lightly sweet, and brushed with saffron milk so it bakes to a glossy amber colour. In Lucknow's old quarters like Chowk and Aminabad, bakers still make it in tandoors each morning, and families buy it for Eid, weddings and Ramadan iftar, eating it alongside rich kormas or simply with a cup of milky tea. It sits halfway between bread and pastry. The usual mistake is adding too much flour while kneading because the dough feels sticky; a dry dough gives a tough, crumbly sheermal. Chef's tip: oil your hands instead of flouring the surface, and let the rich dough rise until it is truly doubled.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
For the glaze
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Steep the ¼ tsp saffron threads in the 3 tbsp warm milk and set aside; it should turn deep orange as you make the dough.
Step 2: Mix the 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida), 1 tsp instant dried yeast, 2 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground green cardamom in a bowl. Add the ¾ cup warm milk, 2 ⅛ oz ghee and ½ tsp kewra water and bring together into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
5 minStep 3: Knead for 8–10 minutes with oiled hands until smooth, glossy and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1–1¼ hours until doubled.
75 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 450°F (fan 400°F) with a heavy baking tray inside. Divide the dough into 6 balls, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Pat each ball into a 14 cm round about 6 mm thick on a sheet of baking paper. Prick all over with a fork so it bakes flat, without ballooning.
5 minStep 6: Brush the rounds with half the saffron milk, slide them on their paper onto the hot tray and bake for 6 minutes.
6 minStep 7: Brush with the remaining saffron milk and bake for another 3–5 minutes until the tops are glossy amber with a few darker spots. Brush with the 1 tbsp butter or ghee as soon as they come out and stack under a cloth to keep soft.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lucknowi sheermal take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 100 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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