Sheermal | Shirmal – Saffron Flavored Flat Bread
Sheermal is a saffron flavored flatbread which is believed to have passed on to India from the Persian culture. This bread is very famous in the Muslim community
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 430kcal
Equipment
- bowl
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Active dry yeast
- ¼ cup Lukewarm water
- ½ cup Lukewarm milk + 2 tbsp
- 3 tablespoon Yogurt
- ¼ cup Ghee or melted butter
- 3 tablespoon Sugar + 1 tsp
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Rose water optional
- few Saffron strands
Instructions
To make the dough -
- Heat the water to lukewarm temperature and add the yeast along with a teaspoon of sugar. Mix it well and cover with a cloth. Let the yeast proof for about 7-10 minutes or until it becomes bubbly. If the yeast mixture does not froth up by the end of 10 minutes, discard the mixture and start with a new batch of yeast.
- In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of the stand mixer, add the rest of the dry ingredients; all purpose flour, sugar and salt.
- Mix it and then add the proofed yeast mixture. Add the melted butter or ghee and the rose water, if using. Add the milk slowly to form a soft dough.
- Knead the dough for 7 to 10 minutes. The dough will be very soft, but not sticky.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and then a kitchen cloth.
- Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour to hour and a half.
To shape and bake the Sheermal/Shirmal -
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- In a small bowl, heat the 2 tablespoon of milk and add the saffron strands to the milk. Mix it well and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
- Once the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down gently and then divide it into 4 equal balls.
- Working with one ball, flatten it evenly to about 6 to 8 inches circle. You could use a rolling pin, but I found using the hands to flatten worked much better.
- Place the shaped dough on a parchment lined baking tray. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough pieces.
- Using a fork, make prick marks evenly all over the dough.
- Using a pastry brush, evenly brush the saffron milk all over the shaped dough. Make sure you brush the saffron milk liberally over the shaped flat bread.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the Sheermal is golden brown in color. Do not overcook the bread. Keep an eye from about 12 minutes as the cooking time vary from oven to oven.
- Cool on rack for 5 minutes and then place wrapped in a cloth to retain the softness of the bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 594mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 572IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg