Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Baqarkhani Roti
Baqarkhani Roti (Rich Sweet Bread)

Baqarkhani Roti

Rich Sweet Bread
VegetarianOrigin Awadh/HyderabadPrep 40 minutes, plus standing timeCook 10 minutes

A rich, multi-layered bread enriched with milk, ghee, and dried fruit, lightly perfumed with cardamom. Baked until golden, it has a tender, flaky crumb and a crisp poppy-seed crust.

Dough spice

0.7 gKneaded into the dough (step 2)
01
0.7 g4 pods
spice
Grind the green cardamom seeds to a fine powder.

Poppy seed topping

8 gScattered over the shaped dough rounds before baking (step 5)
01
8 g1 tablespoon
spice
Leave the seeds whole for topping.

Everything else

01
Plain flour · Maidaplus extra for dusting
500 g
flour
02
4 g1 teaspoon
other
03
~0.3 gpinch
salt
04
8 g3 teaspoons
sweetener
05
259 g250 ml
dairy
06
3.5 g1 teaspoon
other
07
18 g2 tablespoons
fruit
08
Almond · Badamcut into slivers
19–22 g16–18 almonds
nut/seed
09
Gheemelted, plus extra for greasing
250 g
oil/fat

Method

  1. Combine 1 tsp yeast with 5 tbsp lukewarm water in a small bowl and rest for 30 minutes until frothy. Sift 500 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 0.3 g salt into a large bowl, then mix in 3 tsp sugar and 250 g warm milk.
  2. Pour the activated yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and bring together into a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Work in the dough spice, 2 tbsp raisins, and 16 slivered almonds until evenly distributed. Place into a greased bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm spot for at least 1 hour until noticeably swollen.
  3. Work half of the 250 g melted ghee (125 g) into the dough. Portion into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Arrange on a greased baking sheet, cover, and leave to relax for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Flatten each ball into a round roughly 18 cm (7 inches) wide and 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Brush the surface with melted ghee, fold into quarters, roll back into a ball, and let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat this rolling, greasing, folding, and resting cycle two more times.
  5. Sprinkle the poppy seed topping across the tops of the shaped dough portions. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes until golden brown.

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Plain flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.

  • Cornflour

    For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Baking powder
  • Baking soda

    Use 25% of the baking powder's weight (e.g. 1 g for 4 g) and add 2 g cream of tartar or 1 tsp lime juice per 100 g flour. Mix quickly and bake at once.

  • Bicarbonate of soda

    Same as baking soda: use 25% of the weight with an acid such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or yogurt. Expect a slightly soapy taste if overused.

  • Self-raising flour

    Replace the plain flour plus baking powder with the same weight of self-raising flour; omit added baking powder and reduce salt slightly.

Icing sugar
  • Caster sugar

    Use the same weight and grind to a fine powder in a dry blender. Add 3% cornflour by weight if you need it to stay powdery.

  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight and grind in small batches until fine. It is coarser and may feel gritty in uncooked icings.

  • Sugar candy

    Use the same weight and grind to a powder. It is harder to grind and gives a slightly crunchier result.

Whole milk
  • Milk

    Use 100% of the weight. If using semi-skimmed milk, stir in 10 g butter per 200 g milk to match the richness of whole milk.

  • Single cream

    Use 60% cream diluted with 40% water by weight to match the fat content of whole milk. Gravies will taste richer and reduce faster.

Fresh yeast
  • Fast-action dried yeast

    Use 40% of the weight and mix dry with the flour; no proofing needed. Add the recipe liquid warm, not hot.

  • Dried yeast

    Use 50% of the weight, dissolve in warm water with a pinch of sugar, and wait 10 minutes until frothy.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Raisin
  • Dried plum

    Use equal weight, pitted and finely chopped. Lends a deeper, slightly more tart sweetness to curries and rice dishes.

  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Fry lightly in ghee until golden; substitutes the burst of sweetness with a rich, buttery crunch.

  • Jaggery

    Use 30% of the weight, finely grated. Dissolve straight into the sauce to match the intended sweetness, though without the fruity chew.

Almond
  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Soak in warm water and grind to a paste or fry identically; yields a slightly creamier and sweeter sauce.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use equal weight. Lightly roast, skin, and grind; introduces a heavier body and a pronounced roasted-nut aroma.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Poppy seed
  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Soak in warm water for 20 minutes and grind to a smooth paste; produces an even creamier, slightly richer gravy than poppy seeds.

  • White sesame seed

    Use equal weight. Soak and grind finely; provides similar thickening and body with a slightly nuttier, faintly bitter edge.

  • Almond

    Use equal weight. Blanch, peel, and grind finely with a splash of water; lends a velvety body and gentle sweetness to gravies.

Similar dishes

Paratha
Paratha is less sweet and buttery, lacking the fruity chew of raisins and the nutty crunch of poppy seeds.
  • Same: Paratha shares the flaky, laminated layers enriched with ghee and seasoned with green cardamom and salt.
  • Different: Paratha uses significantly less ghee and omits the milk, raisins, and poppy seeds used in this baked bread.
Girda
Kashmiri Fermented Bread
Girda tastes gently tangy and mildly sweet rather than heavily buttery, fruity, and cardamom-scented.
  • Same: Girda is also a baked bread finished with a poppy-seed crust and enriched with ghee.
  • Different: Girda uses an overnight-fermented dough with yogurt and sugar, containing far less ghee and omitting the raisins and green cardamom found in this dish.
Mawe ki Kachori
Sweet Stuffed Kachori
Mawe ki Kachori is much sweeter, richer, and syrupy with floral notes, compared to the mildly sweet and buttery bready flavor of this dish.
  • Same: Both sweets are prepared with ghee and flavored with green cardamom and raisins.
  • Different: Mawe ki Kachori is deep-fried and stuffed with khoya before being soaked in a rosewater and lime sugar syrup, whereas this dish is baked with a poppy-seed topping and lacks the syrup.
Warqi Paratha
Layered Paratha
Warqi Paratha tastes savory and ghee-rich with crisp flaky layers, while this dish is sweet, milky, cardamom-scented, and studded with dried fruit under a poppy-seed crust.
  • Same: Warqi Paratha and this dish are both plain-flour flatbreads made flaky and multi-layered with ghee.
  • Different: Warqi Paratha uses only plain flour, salt, and ghee, with no milk, yeast, baking powder, icing sugar, cardamom, raisins, almonds, or poppy seeds, and it is shaped by spiral rolling rather than baked as a rich sweet bread.