A soft, slightly sweet, saffron-coloured flatbread made from maida, milk and ghee — baked in a tandoor or oven until the surface is orange-golden. The royal bread of the Awadhi court, still made at the shahi tukda shops of old Lucknow for weddings and Eid.
Ingredients
2 cups maida (refined flour)
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp saffron soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk (the milk becomes deep golden)
milk — about 1/2 cup (the saffron milk counts toward this)
1 tsp dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water with a pinch of sugar
For brushing: 2 tbsp warm milk mixed with a pinch of saffron
Method
Activate the yeast: Dissolve dry yeast in 2 tbsp warm water with a pinch of sugar. Rest 10 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough: Combine maida, ghee, sugar and salt. Rub ghee into flour until crumbly. Add the saffron-steeped warm milk, the remaining milk and the activated yeast. Mix and knead for 8 minutes until very smooth and elastic — sheermal dough should be softer and more supple than regular roti dough.
First rise: Place in an oiled bowl. Cover and rest in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled.
Divide: Punch down the risen dough. Divide into 6 equal balls. Rest 15 minutes.
Roll each sheermal: Roll each ball into an oval about 18 cm long, 12 cm wide and 5 to 6 mm thick. Unlike regular roti, sheermal is not rolled extremely thin.
Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F): Or preheat your grill/broiler to the highest setting.
Brush with saffron milk: Brush the top surface of each sheermal with the saffron-warm milk mixture. The saffron milk will give it the characteristic orange-golden colour when baked.
Bake: Bake directly on the oven rack or a preheated baking stone for 5 to 6 minutes until the top is golden-orange and the bottom is cooked.
Brush again: Remove from the oven. Brush once more with saffron milk while hot.
Serve warm: Sheermal is served warm with any Awadhi meat preparation — particularly alongside nahari, rogan josh or as a standalone breakfast with chai.
Note: Sheermal (sheer = milk in Persian) is the Awadhi milk bread that arrived in Lucknow through Persian influence via the Mughal court. It is specifically a festive and occasion bread — served at Eid celebrations, weddings and offered at the elaborate Lucknow breakfast culture centred around the old city areas of Aminabad and Chowk. The authentic Lucknow sheermal is made in a proper tandoor which gives it a characteristic char on the bottom.