A slightly sweet, saffron-infused, milk-kneaded flatbread baked in a tandoor until pale golden and slightly puffed — the specifically Awadhi sheermal that is softer, more fragrant and less crispy than the Bihari version, eaten with nihari, haleem or qorma at Lucknow iftaar gatherings.
Ingredients
2 cups maida
3 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Saffron — a generous pinch, dissolved in 3/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water with a pinch of sugar — rest 10 minutes
Milk for brushing, sesame seeds for the top
Method
Bloom yeast: Dissolve dry yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar. Wait 10 minutes until frothy.
Make the dough: Combine maida, ghee, sugar and salt. Rub ghee into flour. Add the saffron-steeped warm milk and bloomed yeast. Knead 8 minutes to a soft, smooth, slightly sticky dough.
Rest 1 hour: Cover and rest in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled.
Punch down: Punch the risen dough down. Knead briefly.
Divide into 6 balls.
Shape into rounds: Shape each ball into a medium-thick oval or round about 18 cm — slightly thicker than a regular flatbread.
Rest 15 minutes: Rest the shaped sheermal.
Preheat oven to 230°C (or prepare a tandoor).
Apply milk and sesame: Brush the top of each sheermal with milk. Sprinkle sesame seeds.
Bake: Bake on a hot baking stone or directly on the oven rack for 6 to 8 minutes until puffed and pale golden with golden spots on the surface. The sheermal should not be dark — it is specifically pale golden.
Note: Sheermal (sheer = milk in Persian, mal = rubbed in) is the milk flatbread of the Nawabi tradition — kneaded with saffron-infused milk and ghee rather than water. The Awadhi sheermal is softer and more fragrant than the crisper Bihari version and is specifically the bread of the Lucknow Muslim festivals — served at Eid morning alongside nihari and at Muharram gatherings. The saffron-milk combination was historically a marker of the prosperity of the household that could afford saffron daily.