Bakarkhani or bakar khani roti is and unleavened Bangladeshi flatbread.

Made with wheat flour, slightly sweetened with sugar. It does not have any leavening agents like yeast or baking powder. The flakiness relies on layering the dough with oil or ghee. There are other recipes using molasses for sweetening and seeds for topping, but for this one I kept it simple. Of course, you can customize yours as you like.

This is commonly eaten as a breakfast snack with sweet tea. But you could certainly serve it alongside a substantial meal too.

Traditionally baked on the walls of a tandoor, which is a clay oven with hot coals inside it. The baker would brush the surface of the roti with a little bit of water to make them stick to the oven. Placing dozens of them at a time and just a couple of minutes later collecting them and peeling them off the oven walls.

A high temperature is necessary for a quick bake. I imagine most of you do not have a tandoor and neither do I. So, I would suggest using a thick metal tray to bake them on. Or use a baking stone if you have one. But do not get discouraged if you do not have either. Simply bake them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and they should be fine.

This kind of bread can also be cooked in a pan.

Another unique recipe for the Baking World Tour.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

200g (7oz) strong white bread flour

4g (0.14oz) salt

120g (4.2oz) room temperature water

20g (0.7oz) oil or ghee

10g (0.35oz) sugar

For the layers –

More oil or ghee

Flour for sprinkling

Method

1. In a bowl combine the water, salt, sugar & oil. Mix well to dissolve any large salt and sugar crystals. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
2. Tip the dough out on your table and knead for around 5 minutes in total. If your dough feels too sticky, then simply cover it up and leave it to hydrate for 15 minutes. During this time gluten will develop itself and make It easier to continue kneading.
3. Once finished rub the dough with oil and wrap it in cling film.
4. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. During this time, the gluten in the dough will further develop and the dough will cool down and set a little making it easier to work with.
5. Rub the dough with more oil and cover your table with oil. Now stretch the dough out gradually pressing it with your fingers from the middle to the edge. Do not rush this and try not to tear too many holes in it. Stretch the dough until it becomes translucent, and you can see the table through it.
6. Rub the surface with more oil and sprinkle it with flour all over in an even layer. Rub it in with your hands.
7. Fold the dough sheet in half. Spread with more oil and sprinkle with flour again.
8. Fold it in half again and repeat one more time. Three folds will equal 8 layers of dough. If you want it flakier you could repeat the fold again making it 16 layers, but I think 8 is enough.
9. Trim the edges and cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
10. Shape them into balls. Place on a tray or plate, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes. *During this time preheat your oven to 240C (465F) fan on. If you are using a thick tray or a baking stone, then preheat them too.
11. Roll the dough into thin flat discs. Using your scraper cut 3 slits. This will prevent them from blowing up too much and give them a nice design.
12. Bake as many as you can fit in your oven at once. They should not take more than 3 -4 minutes. You can flip them towards the end of the bake in case the bottom is not done.

Enjoy whilst fresh or cover with a towel for later.

Your oven may be different, so your baking time may vary. Keep an eye on it!

Simple roti is an immensely popular bread all around Asia.

There are many variations. They can be sweet or savoury. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Being unleavened makes it extremely easy to make as there is no need to wait for it to puff up. In the first part of the video, I demonstrate how to make the roti, in the second part I will show you how to make a delicious Malaysian chicken curry to go along with the roti.

The roti can be filled with various fillings like herbs, vegetables and spices. I kept them plain with just egg for this recipe as I served them alongside the curry which is extremely flavourful and does not require any more spices. In fact it is quite nice to eat such a curry with a simple plain roti on the side.

If you are going to make the roti as well as the curry, then make the dough, place it in the fridge to rest and whilst it is resting make the curry. When the curry is ready finish the roti and have yourself a nice meal ?

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

Roti:

150g (3.5oz) strong white bread flour

3g (0.1oz) salt

3g (0.1oz) sugar

1 whole egg, approximately 50g (1.75oz)

45g (1.6oz) milk *you want a total weight of 95g (3.35oz) between the milk and egg. First weigh the egg and then add enough milk to make up the difference.

4 whole eggs for frying

Salt & pepper to season

Oil

Curry:

For the curry powder –

5g (0.2oz) ground turmeric

1g (0.03oz) ground cloves

2g (0.07oz) ground black pepper

5g (0.2oz) ground cumin

10g (0.4oz) ground coriander

5g (0.2oz) cinnamon

2g (0.07oz) ground star anise

Chilli powder to your taste *Mix all these ingredients to make the curry powder. Set aside.

For the curry paste –

160g (5.6oz) peeled & diced shallots

40g (1.4oz) peeled garlic

40g (1.4oz) peeled ginger

100g (3.5oz) cashew nuts

20g (0.7oz) soy sauce

20g (0.7oz) oil

2 teaspoons of the curry powder from above *Blend all these ingredients in a food processor to make the curry paste.

For the chicken –

600g (1.3lb) chicken drumsticks

20g (0.7oz) soy sauce

The rest of the curry powder *Mix well to marinade the chicken. This can be done a day ahead of time for more flavour, but a quick marinade works perfectly well too.

To cook the curry –

20g (0.7oz) oil

2 lime leaves, sliced

2 small branches worth of curry leaves, picked

3g (0.1oz) salt

400g (14oz) diced, peeled potatoes

150g (5.3oz) coconut milk to finish

Coriander leaves to serve

Method

To make the roti:

1. In a bowl combine the egg, milk, salt, sugar and mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
2. Knead for 5 minutes.
3. Divide in 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on a greased plate. Brush with oil all over, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. *Now is the time to make the curry if you decide to do so.
4. Using oil stretch the dough out on your table until it becomes translucent.
5. Lay the dough in your pre heated (medium – high heat) pan and pour over one of the eggs. Season with salt & pepper. Fold it up into a parcel. Flip every 30 seconds. Cook until golden brown all over.

Enjoy whilst fresh!

To make the curry:

1. In a pan heat up the oil and cook the curry paste on medium heat for around 5 minutes or until thickened and nicely fragrant. Stir it with a metal spoon because it might tend to stick to the pan.
2. Add the lime leaves, curry leaves, salt, potatoes, and chicken drumsticks.
3. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Bring up to a simmer.
4. Cook for around 1 hour or until the chicken comes off the bone with no effort. Stir the curry occasionally with a metal spoon as it may start sticking to the bottom of the pan a little bit.
5. Add the coconut milk and adjust the seasoning if need be. Serve the curry garnished with fresh coriander leaves.