Khari Biscuits (Flaky Cumin Puff Pastry Biscuits)
Crisp, shatteringly flaky Indian tea-time biscuits made from a simple rough puff pastry with butter, salt and toasty cumin seeds. Dunk them in hot chai or serve them alongside soup.
- Prep
- 42 min
- Cook
- 27 min
- Wait
- 1 hr 40 min
- Total
- 2 hr 49 min
- Makes
- 24 biscuits (about 2 × 3½ inches each)
Steps
Before you start
- Keep the butter in the fridge until the moment you use it; cold butter is what creates the flaky layers.
- Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it, or better, weigh it (250 g).
- Fill a measuring cup with water and ice cubes a few minutes before you need it.
- Plan on about 3 hours from start to finish, most of it hands-off chilling.
- Clear room in the fridge for a sheet pan and a wrapped block of dough.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together 250 g (2 cups) flour, 6 g (1 tsp) fine salt and 1½ tsp of the cumin seeds until evenly distributed.
- Set the remaining ½ tsp cumin aside for the topping.
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Ready when: Cumin seeds are evenly scattered through the flour with no clumps.
Add the butter
- Add the cold butter cubes and toss to coat in flour.
- Press each cube flat between your thumb and fingers into a thin shard.
- Stop while many pieces are still the size of large almonds or hazelnuts; do not rub in until crumbly.
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Ready when: Flour looks shaggy with visible flattened pieces of butter, roughly ¼ to ½ inch (0.6–1.5 cm) in size.
Tip: If the butter feels soft or greasy, put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.
Add water, form dough
- Drizzle in about ⅓ cup (80 ml) of the ice water and toss with a fork or bench scraper.
- Add the remaining water a tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
- Gather into a rough, shaggy mass; it will look uneven with streaks of butter, which is correct.
- Press into a flat rectangle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
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Ready when: No dry flour remains and the dough holds together when pinched, with butter pieces still visible.
Tip: Don't knead. Overworking develops gluten and melts the butter, giving tough, less flaky biscuits.
Chill the dough
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the flour hydrates and the butter firms up.
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Ready when: Dough feels firm and cold to the touch.
First roll and fold
- Lightly dust the counter with some of the 2 tbsp dusting flour.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle about 8×16 inches (20×40 cm), with a short side facing you.
- Brush off excess flour, then fold it in thirds like a letter: bottom third up, top third down over it.
- Rewrap.
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Ready when: You have a neat three-layer block with butter streaks visible through the dough.
Tip: If butter starts poking through or sticking, dust lightly with flour and chill for 10 minutes.
Chill between folds
- Refrigerate the folded dough, wrapped, for 20 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough is firm but not rock hard.
Two more folds
- Turn the dough 90 degrees so the open folded edge is to your side.
- Roll again to about 8×16 inches (20×40 cm) and fold in thirds.
- Rewrap and chill 15 minutes, then repeat once more for a third and final fold, using the remaining dusting flour as needed.
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Ready when: Dough becomes smoother and more uniform, with thin streaks of butter, and rolls out easily.
Tip: Always roll in one direction (away from you), not back and forth, to preserve layers.
Roll out and cut
- On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12×14 inches (30×35 cm) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Trim the uneven edges with a sharp knife or bench scraper.
- Cut into 24 rectangles, about 2×3½ inches (5×9 cm), by making 5 cuts across the 12-inch side and 3 cuts across the 14-inch side.
- Cut straight down; do not drag the knife.
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Ready when: Dough is an even ¼ inch thick and the cut edges show clean, visible layers.
Tip: Sharp, straight cuts make clean edges that puff up; pressing or sawing seals the layers shut.
Arrange, dock, and chillOven 400°F / 205°C
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Transfer the rectangles to the sheets, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Prick each biscuit 3 or 4 times with a fork, brush the tops with the milk and sprinkle with the reserved ½ tsp cumin seeds.
- Chill the trays for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 400°F (200°C) with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
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Ready when: Biscuits are cold and firm, with milk and cumin on top.
Tip: Docking with a fork keeps them from puffing too high so they bake crisp and cracker-like.
Bake hotOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake both trays at 400°F (200°C) for 14 to 15 minutes, swapping and rotating the trays halfway through, until the biscuits have puffed and are light golden.
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Ready when: Tops are puffed, layers visible at the edges, and light golden brown.
Tip: Don't open the oven in the first 10 minutes; the steam from the butter needs to build to lift the layers.
Bake low to crispOven 325°F / 165°C
- Reduce the oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Bake another 10 to 12 minutes to dry out and crisp the biscuits through, until deep golden brown on top and bottom.
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Ready when: Deep golden brown all over, with the bottoms golden and the biscuits feeling light and dry.
Tip: Check the bottoms; if they brown too fast, move the tray to the upper rack.
Cool completely
- Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes.
- They crisp up further as they cool.
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Ready when: Biscuits snap cleanly and no longer feel soft in the center.
Tip: Don't store them while still warm or steam will soften them.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep everything cold: if the dough softens at any point, stop and chill it for 15 minutes.
- Leave visible chunks of butter in the dough; they melt in the oven and create the flaky pockets.
- Cut with a sharp knife straight down, and avoid brushing milk on the cut edges, which can glue layers together.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for 1 minute and cool them for a deeper flavor, if you like.
Make ahead
"The wrapped dough can be refrigerated after the final fold for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month (thaw overnight in the fridge). Cut, shaped biscuits can also be frozen unbaked on a tray, then bagged; bake from frozen, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the hot bake."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. Fridge: not recommended, as it can soften them. Freezer: baked biscuits keep up to 2 months in a freezer bag. To refresh, warm on a baking sheet at 300°F (150°C) for 5 to 8 minutes and cool until crisp."
Substitutions
- unsalted butter → ghee (chilled until solid). Gives a more traditional flavor, but it is harder to create distinct layers; keep it firm and cold, and expect a slightly crumblier texture.
- cumin seeds → carom seeds (ajwain) or nigella seeds. Use the same amount; ajwain is stronger and more thyme-like, so reduce to 1 tsp total if you prefer a milder flavor.
- all-purpose flour → half whole wheat (atta) flour, half all-purpose. Gives a nuttier flavor and a denser, slightly less flaky texture; add an extra tablespoon of water if needed.
- whole milk → beaten egg or melted butter. Egg gives a deeper golden color and shine; butter gives a softer top.