Mitho Lolo

Before you start

• Dissolve the grated jaggery in 1/2 cup warm water and strain it — jaggery often carries grit that will tear the dough.
• Rub the ghee into the flour before any liquid goes in; this moyan is what makes lolo short and flaky.
• Rest the dough 20 minutes covered. It is a stiff, sweet dough and needs the time to relax before rolling.

Method

1. Rub 4 tbsp ghee into the atta with your fingertips for a couple of minutes, until the flour holds its shape when pressed in a fist.This is the step that decides the texture. Skimp on it and you get a sweet chapati, not a lolo.
2. Mix in the fennel, ground cardamom, cracked pepper and salt.
3. Pour in the strained jaggery water and the milk and bring it together into a stiff dough — softer than pastry, firmer than roti dough. Add flour by the spoonful if it sticks.Jaggery loosens the dough as it stands, so err on the firm side now.
4. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
5. Divide into 6 balls. Roll each to about 8mm thick and 12cm across, dusting with flour — thicker than a paratha, and no need to be neat.
6. Cook on a medium-low tawa for about 2 minutes, until the surface dries and small blisters appear. Flip.
7. Spoon a tablespoon of ghee around the edge and cook 2-3 minutes a side, pressing gently with a cloth, until both faces are freckled deep brown.Keep the heat medium-low. Jaggery burns long before the middle of an 8mm bread is cooked.
8. Stack the cooked lolos under a cloth so they steam and soften, and serve warm with plain yogurt or a glass of milk.

Storage

Keeps 3 days in an airtight box at room temperature — mitho lolo is deliberately made to travel and is often eaten cold. Warm briefly on a dry tawa to bring it back.