Aam papad
Ripe mango pulp spread thin and dried as a chewy fruit leather. This entry records one controlled unsweetened experiment and distinguishes it from Bengali sun-dried aamshotto and sweetened or spiced variants.
Traditional method
Old Dhaka bakarkhani
Bakarkhani · bakorkhani
A firm, layered bread from Old Dhaka, made with mawa and ghee and baked until lightly browned.
A home version of Old Dhaka bakarkhani
Lail Hossain's recipe names Old Dhaka as its style and describes a firm, layered bread. Its home method uses mawa, ghee, a rolling board and a domestic oven. The specified batch serves 8–10, although the source gives no bread diameter or individual weight.
The recipe does not claim to reproduce bakery production in a clay tandoor. Contemporary accounts describe both traditional tandoor baking and newer ovens in Dhaka. This version follows the measured home oven method.
Mawa and repeated folds
Here, mawa is a coarse crumb made by stirring powdered milk into melted ghee until slightly golden and aromatic. The source makes more than the ¼ cup used in the dough; measure the amount needed after it cools.
The sheet is rolled very thin. Ghee and flour are applied in pairs before each fold. The source's own note says the dough should be thin enough to see the board through it and warns that overbaking harms the layers and flavor.
Sources for this section
Regional names cover different breads
The bread's name is used for several regional forms. The atlas distinguishes this Old Dhaka layered bread from other breads called bakarkhani in Kashmir and elsewhere. Banglar Rannaghor gives a separate Dhaka-associated formula based on oil and butter, with no oven temperature in its written instructions; this entry follows Hossain's more fully specified mawa-and-ghee version.
Accounts of the name link it to a story about Aga Baker Khan and Khani Begum, but the sources do not establish a secure origin date. The name story is recorded as an attribution, not settled history.
Sources for this section
History
Lail Hossain presents this as an Old Dhaka recipe. The archive and regional sources associate bakarkhani with Dhaka, while accounts of its name and early history remain traditional attributions rather than a dated first attestation.
Ingredients
Yield 8 –10 breads · Scaling: source batch only
Plain flourUse extra for dusting during lamination.
473 mL2 cup as recorded
MawaThe source makes this from powdered milk and ghee.
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
GheePlus extra for coating the dough and rolling board.
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
WaterAdd gradually; flour and room conditions can change the amount needed.
207 mL⅞ cup as recorded
⅔ cup plus 3 tablespoons is listed; adjust in ½-tablespoon additions to form a stretchy dough.Sesame seeds (optional)
to sprinkle
GheeFor making mawa.
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Powdered milkFor making mawa.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Use care with the hot oven and tray. The source gives no storage duration; this recipe sets none.
- To make the mawa, melt 1 tablespoon ghee in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add ½ cup powdered milk and stir until it forms a coarse, slightly golden, aromatic crumb. Set it aside to cool, then measure ¼ cup for the dough.
- Mix the flour, ¼ cup mawa, salt, sugar and ¼ cup ghee. Add the listed water a little at a time, stopping when the dough is stretchy. Knead well.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth or paper towel and rest for at least 30 minutes. Coat it with a little ghee and rest for another 10–15 minutes.
- Grease a long rolling board and rolling pin with ghee. Divide the dough into two portions. Roll one portion very thin without dusting the board with flour.
- Roll the folded dough gently into a long cylinder. Pinch off small pieces and roll them into small breads. Repeat with the second portion. Cut three slits in each bread and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Roll the folded dough gently into a long cylinder. Pinch off small pieces and roll them into small breads. Repeat with the second portion. Cut three slits in each bread and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 325°F (about 163°C) for 22–25 minutes, until lightly browned. Watch closely: the source warns that overbaking damages the flavor and layers.
Conditions
Yield8 –10 breads
Active time25 min
Temperature163°C
Places
Dhaka
Documented preparation · Locality evidenceLail Hossain's recipe identifies this as Old Dhaka bakarkhani; this records a documented regional style, not a proven birthplace.
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Sources
WithASpin; Lail HossainInspiration
Old Dhaka Bakarkhani – A Legendary BreadMeasured batch for 8–10; ingredients including mawa; mawa made from powdered milk and ghee; 325°F oven; 30-minute covered rest plus 10–15-minute ghee rest; repeated ghee-and-flour layering; 22–25-minute bake; water-adjustment and overbaking notes.
Cited in: A home version of Old Dhaka bakarkhani; Mawa and repeated folds; Regional names cover different breads
Banglar RannaghorContext
Bakarkhani RecipeA second Dhaka-associated baked recipe uses flour, salt, oil, water and oil-butter layers; it also rests the dough 30 minutes and bakes 22–25 minutes, but omits oven temperature and a fully specified lamination sequence.
Cited in: Regional names cover different breads
Bangladesh Tourism BoardGeography · Context
BakarkhaniOld Dhaka association and crisp bread description; proposed historical origin treated as an attribution.
BanglapediaHistory · Context
BakorkhaniTraditional naming account and Dhaka bakery context.
Cited in: Regional names cover different breads
bdnews24.comGeography · Context
Traditional Bakarkhani of DhakaOld Dhaka bakery practice and salty, sweet and cheese variants.
Bangladesh Sangbad SangsthaGeography · Context
Bakarkhani: From Mughal-era royal bread to a vibrant heritage of DhakaOld Dhaka market varieties and continued use of clay and modern ovens.
Cited in: A home version of Old Dhaka bakarkhani