Recipe – Bhakri Biscuit (Gujarat/Rajasthan)

(Image courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com)

Years back, when we first landed in Gujarat, I had Gujarati Thali with my parents. I fell in love with Gujarati food then. One item in the thali was so delicious we called the waiter to ask him what it was called. That item was the bhakri biscuit. A biscuit made of wheat and chickpea flour, and served hot with ghee poured on top.

Since then, I have been thinking of finding out the recipe and making it at home, and today I made it. I need to perfect myself in cooking it, but I took the first step, and I know I got at least 90% of it right.

I found the recipe in Rajdhani hotel’s website, and decided to include it in my 30 recipe list. Bhakri biscuit is a cookie that doesn’t need baking. Good for me because I don’t have an oven. 😀

Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour – 4 cups
Chickpea (Besan) flour – 1 cup
Ghee – 4 teaspoons
Milk – 2 cups
Sugar – 5 teaspoon (add more according to taste)
Hot water

Knead the wheat flour, besan, ghee, milk, sugar, and water to form a hard dough. I added 5 teaspoon sugar, but I think that amount turned out to be a little less, so I think you could add more according to your taste (According to another recipe I came across later, it says sugar should be 4 table spoons, but I think that would be too sweet). Next time, I will try 7 tea spoons sugar.

Make small round balls, and roll the dough into small roundels about half-an-inch thick. I tried using a rolling pin, but my flour was sticky, so i made the biscuits by hand pressing. But, I guess, if the dough is properly hard enough, the rolling pin would do the work.

Toast the discs on a skillet on both sides, on a slow flame, till they turn mild brown, without using any oil or ghee.

The biscuits taste best when served hot and fresh. You can serve them as snacks with milk or tea.