Girda
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
A round, soft leavened bread from the Kashmiri bakery, pressed with fingertip marks and eaten every morning with noon chai.
Region: Kashmir valleyOccasion: BreakfastTime: 30 min + 2 hr risingServes: 6Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 cups maida (refined wheat flour)
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ghee
- About 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp milk for brushing
- 1 tsp poppy or sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Dissolve the yeast and sugar in a little warm water and leave for 10 minutes until frothy.
- Mix the flour, salt, ghee and yeast, and knead with warm water into a soft dough. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours until doubled.
- Divide into 6 balls. Flatten each into a thick round about 15 cm across.
- Press the fingertips deep into the dough all over to make the typical pattern. Brush with milk and sprinkle seeds.
- Bake in a very hot oven (about 240 °C) for 8–10 minutes until lightly browned. Traditional bakers slap the bread onto the wall of a clay tandoor.
- Serve warm with butter and noon chai.
History
The kandur, the neighbourhood baker, is a fixture of Kashmiri life. Breads such as girda, lavasa, kulcha and bakarkhani are baked in his tandoor before dawn.
Significance
Buying fresh girda from the kandur each morning is part of daily life in Kashmir, and the bakery is often where neighbours meet.