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Gijda
Thick milk and butter bread
Uzbekistan's small, thick milk-and-butter bread
Small, thick and glossy, gijda is the richer cousin of the big Uzbek non, sold in stacks at the bazaars of Tashkent and Samarkand and carried to weddings, family visits and long afternoons of green tea. Milk and butter in the dough make it fine-crumbed and tender, a little sweet, with a deep-golden domed rim and a flat, pricked centre that stays crisp. It is eaten with green tea and honey, torn beside plov, or with a bowl of shurpa. Bakers stamp the middle with a chekich, a wooden tool full of nails; a fork does the same job at home. If the centre is not pressed down hard enough it puffs up in the oven and you lose the classic shape, which is the most common mistake. Chef's tip: press the centre flat with the base of a glass first, then prick it all over, so the rim stays high and the middle stays thin.
- Total time
- 143 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ oz salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm whole milk
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
To finish
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp nigella or sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar and ⅓ oz salt. Add 1 ¼ cups lukewarm whole milk and 2 ⅛ oz butter and knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Divide into 6 and shape into tight balls. Rest for 10 minutes, then flatten each into a 12 cm round about 2.5 cm thick.
10 minStep 4: Press the base of a glass firmly into the centre of each round, leaving a 2 cm rim. Prick the centre all over with a fork, right through to the tray.
Step 5: Set on lined trays, cover and prove for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan).
30 minStep 6: Press the centres down again, brush the rims with 2 tbsp milk and sprinkle the centres with 1 tsp nigella or sesame seeds if using.
Step 7: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the rims are deep, glossy golden. The base should sound hollow and the rim read about 194°F inside.
18 minStep 8: Cool under a tea towel. Gijda keeps for 3 days wrapped; warm briefly before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 63 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gijda take?
- About 143 minutes in total: 125 minutes to prepare and 18 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.
- 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 strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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