A Mughal-era heritage bread of Old Dhaka, descended from the Persian and Central Asian baking brought to South Asia by the Mughal court; popularly tied to the folk legend of Aga Bakar Khan, who is said to have named the bread for the woman he loved, Khani Begum (Bakar + Khani) — a tale often linked to Nawabi-era Murshidabad and treated as folklore rather than documented history.
It snaps like a thick, savory biscuit, then reveals dozens of buttery, ghee-rich layers that shatter and flake. Faintly salty with the nutty crunch of nigella seeds, it is dense and deeply satisfying, made for dunking into sweet milky tea.
Folding ghee between thin dough sheets creates many fat-separated layers that puff and crisp in the oven, much like a laminated pastry. The stiff low-water dough and intense heat drive off moisture, producing the bread's signature hard, flaky bite.
Variations
Sweet bakarkhani with sugar or jaggery; thinner crisp shukno version; saffron-scented festive bakarkhani; smaller tea-time rounds.
On the Palate
Where Bakarkhani sits in the Bangladeshi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 120 min
Knead flour, a little ghee, salt, and water into a stiff, smooth dough and rest it.
Watch outKeep the dough stiff and firm, not soft — knead until the surface goes smooth; a wet dough won't hold the crisp, flaky layers.
- 220 min
Divide the dough into balls and let them relax for 20 minutes.
- 310 min
Roll each ball into a thin sheet and brush generously with ghee.
Watch outBrush the ghee edge to edge, thick enough to see it glisten — those greased sheets are what separate into flaky layers.
- 412 min
Fold and re-roll the sheet several times to build flaky layers.
Watch outFold and re-roll several rounds so you can see thin sheets stacking up — that layering is what gives the bread its flaky bite.
- 55 min
Shape into a thick round and score the surface in a crosshatch pattern.
- 63 min
Sprinkle with nigella or poppy seeds and press them in.
- 725 min
Bake in a very hot oven or tandoor until deep golden and crisp.
Watch outBake in a screaming-hot oven until deep golden and the surface sounds crisp when tapped — a slack oven leaves it pale and tough, not flaky.
- 810 min
Cool until firm and serve with hot tea.
