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Roht
روت (roht): Mazar-i-Sharif's sweet cardamom bread with sesame and nigella, baked for Nowruz (dough rises 1 hour)
In Mazar-i-Sharif, the city that hosts Afghanistan's biggest Nowruz celebrations, roht is baked by the dozen in the days before the new year and carried to relatives with haft mewa and sweets; families also make it to celebrate a birth or welcome guests home from the Hajj. It is a thick round bread, somewhere between a sweet loaf and a soft cake, golden on top and patterned with sesame and nigella, with a close, tender crumb scented with cardamom. It is torn into pieces and eaten with green tea at any hour of the day. Rich, sugary dough rises slowly, so the common failure is baking it too soon, which gives a dense, heavy round; wait until it has clearly doubled. Chef's tip: press a pattern into the top with a fork or a clean bread stamp before the glaze, so the seeds settle into the grooves.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- 4 oz caster sugar
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 2 eggsbeaten
For the topping
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Stir ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 tsp of ¼ oz caster sugar into ¾ cup whole milk and leave for 5 minutes until frothy.
5 minStep 2: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, the rest of 4 oz caster sugar, 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 /2 tsp salt in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture, 2 eggs and ½ cup sunflower oil or melted ghee.
Step 3: Mix to a dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes until smooth, soft and slightly tacky but no longer sticking to your hands.
8 minStep 4: Put it back in the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
60 minStep 5: Line two baking trays. Divide the dough in two, shape each into a ball and flatten into a round about 2 cm thick and 20 cm across.
Step 6: Cover loosely and leave for 20 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
20 minStep 7: Press a pattern into the tops with the tines of a fork, beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp milk, brush it over and scatter with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tsp nigella seeds.
Step 8: Bake for 22–25 minutes until deep golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
25 minStep 9: Cool on a rack under a clean tea towel so the crust stays soft, then cut into wedges. It keeps for 3 days in a tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does roht take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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