AI-generated image
Surti jeera butter biscuits
Cumin butter tea biscuits
જીરા બટર: Surat's flaky, twice-baked cumin tea biscuits
Surat's old bakeries, some of them run by Parsi and Bohra families for a century, sell 'butter' by the kilo: round, crisp, flaky biscuits that crack into layers, and the jeera version is salted and freckled with cumin. Gujaratis eat them with morning tea, crushed into a saucer of chai or spread with a little butter. Unlike khari they start with a lightly yeasted dough that is spread with a ghee-and-flour paste and folded, then baked once until risen and again, low, until bone dry, which gives a crunch rather than a shatter. The mistake most people make is pulling them out after the first bake because they look done; they need the long, slow second bake or they turn chewy. Chef's tip: toast the cumin in a dry pan for a minute and crush half of it before it goes into the dough, so the flavour runs through every layer.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin seedstoasted, half crushed
- 1 oz gheemelted
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
For the paste
- 2 ⅛ oz ghee or vegetable shorteningsoft, at room temperature
- 1 oz plain flour
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp cumin seeds in a bowl. Add 1 oz ghee and ¾ cup lukewarm water and knead for 6–8 minutes into a smooth, soft dough.
8 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes, until puffy but not fully doubled.
45 minStep 3: Beat 2 ⅛ oz ghee or vegetable shortening and 1 oz plain flour together into a smooth, spreadable paste.
Step 4: Knock back the dough and roll it into a 25 × 40 cm rectangle. Spread a third of the paste over two-thirds of it, then fold in three like a letter, unpasted third first.
Step 5: Roll out to the same size again, spread with another third of the paste and fold in three. Wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 6: Repeat once more with the last of the paste, then chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 7: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) and line two trays. Roll the dough to 6 mm thick and cut 6 cm rounds with a sharp cutter, pressing straight down without twisting so the layers stay open.
Step 8: Lay the rounds on the trays, prick each a few times with a fork, cover loosely and leave for 15 minutes to puff slightly.
15 minStep 9: Bake for 15 minutes, until risen into visible layers and light golden.
15 minStep 10: Turn the oven down to 275°F (225°F fan) and bake for 40–45 minutes more, until the biscuits are evenly golden and sound hollow and light when tapped. A broken one should be dry to the centre.
43 minStep 11: Cool on a rack and store airtight for up to three weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does surti jeera butter biscuits take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 60 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 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.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Perfect for:Tea-time