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Paape
Twice-baked tea rusks
ਪਾਪੇ: Punjabi twice-baked tea rusks, lightly sweet and crisp right through (plus 2 hours rising and cooling)
No Punjabi kitchen is without a tin of paape. They are dunked in the first cup of tea at dawn and again at four o'clock, carried to the fields, and offered to every guest who drops in. Bakeries across Punjab bake a sweet, light loaf, slice it and dry it slowly until it snaps, and this home version does exactly the same. The common mistake is slicing the loaf while it is still warm: it squashes, and the rusks dry out dense and gummy. Let it cool completely, ideally overnight. Chef's tip: dry the slices at a low temperature until the centre snaps cleanly; any softness in the middle and they go stale within days.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
For the loaf
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour (maida)
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ¼ cups warm waterroughly, at about 38°C
- 2 ⅛ oz buttersoft, plus a little for the tin
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour (maida), ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 2 ⅞ oz sugar, 2 tbsp milk powder, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a large bowl. Add most of 1 ¼ cups warm water and bring together into a soft dough, adding the rest only if dry flour remains.
4 minStep 2: Knead for 8 minutes, then work in 2 ⅛ oz butter and knead 2–3 minutes more until smooth and elastic; a small piece should stretch thin without tearing.
11 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
1 minStep 4: Knock back, shape into a tight log and place in a buttered 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin. Cover and leave for 40–45 minutes until the dough rises just above the rim.
5 minStep 5: Bake at 350°F (fan 325°F) for 30 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely, at least 1 hour or overnight.
30 minStep 6: Cut the loaf into 1.5 cm slices with a serrated knife, then cut each slice in half. Lay them flat on two baking trays.
5 minStep 7: Bake at 275°F (fan 250°F) for 30–35 minutes, turning once, until pale gold and completely dry. Break one: it should snap cleanly with no soft centre. If not, give them 10 minutes more.
35 minStep 8: Cool on the trays, then store in an airtight tin for up to a month.
0 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paape take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Tea-time