Ingredients
Dough
- 700 gstrong white flour
- 14 gsalt
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 350 mlwarm milk
- 1egg
- 80 gmelted sheep tail fat, or butter
Layering fat
- 150 grendered sheep tail fat, or softened butter
- 2 tbspplain flour
To finish
- 1egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp milk
- 2 tbspsesame seeds
- 1 tbspnigella seeds
Equipment
- a chekich bread stamp, or a fork
- a tandoor, or a very hot oven with a baking stone
To serve
- green tea
- plov or any main dish
Directions
- Butter is the common substitute and gives a lighter result. Either way the fat must be soft and spreadable, not melted. Warm the milk to blood temperature and no hotter. Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
- Keep the salt away from the yeast until the liquid goes in. Add the warm milk, the egg and the melted fat. Mix it into a rough shaggy dough. Knead it for twelve minutes until smooth and elastic. It should be firm rather than soft. Cover it and let it rise for about ninety minutes. It should roughly double in size.
- Beat the soft fat with the two tablespoons of flour. The flour stops the fat simply running out during baking. Divide the risen dough into four pieces. Roll one piece out as thin as you can manage. It should be almost translucent in places.
- Spread a thin even layer of the fat paste over the whole sheet. Leave a bare centimetre at the edge so it can seal. Roll the sheet up tightly from one edge into a rope. Roll it firmly so no air is trapped inside. Pinch the ends closed so the fat cannot escape. Press the coil down gently with your palm.
- Let the coils rest for fifteen minutes before shaping. Roll or press each coil out into a round. Press outward from the centre, leaving the rim thicker. The centre should be thin and the rim two or three times thicker. Roll gently, since heavy pressure crushes the layers together. The finished round should be about twenty-two centimetres across.
- Press the chekich firmly into the flat centre. Press right down so the holes go through to the tray. Work outwards to cover the whole flat area. Leave a clear rim of about four centimetres unstamped. Brush the surface with the egg yolk and milk.
- Scatter sesame and nigella seeds over the stamped centre. Press them in lightly so they hold. Baking needs the hottest oven you have. Heat the oven to its maximum with a stone inside. Give it a full forty-five minutes to heat.
- Bake them for ten to fourteen minutes. The rim should puff and colour deeply. Cover it loosely with a cloth as it cools. Tear it by hand at the table itself. It keeps for three or four days wrapped in cloth.
Technique
- Use soft spreadable fat rather than melted, which would run out of the layers.
- Roll the coiled disc gently, since heavy pressure crushes the layers together.
- The stamped centre stays flat while the unstamped rim puffs into a ring.
Substitutions
- Softened butter in place of rendered sheep tail fat.
- A fork pressed repeatedly in place of a chekich stamp.
Variations
- With fried onion worked into the layering fat.
- Made with more fat still, for a very rich festive bread.
- Made small, as individual rounds.
History
Festive bread of Samarkand and the Ferghana Valley, laminated with sheep fat and stamped before baking.
Frequently asked questions
What is Patir?
Patir is a bread & pastry from Uzbekistan: flaky layered tandoor bread enriched with fat, baked for guests. Festive bread of Samarkand and the Ferghana Valley, laminated with sheep fat and stamped before baking.
How long does Patir take to make?
Patir takes 40 min plus 2 hours rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 breads. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Patir?
Yes, within limits. Softened butter in place of rendered sheep tail fat. A fork pressed repeatedly in place of a chekich stamp.
What is the most important thing to get right in Patir?
Butter is the common substitute and gives a lighter result. Either way the fat must be soft and spreadable, not melted. Warm the milk to blood temperature and no hotter. Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
