Gur paratha
Vegetarian
ਗੁੜ ਪਰਾਂਠਾ · gur paranthaa
A sweet Punjabi paratha filled with grated jaggery, sesame and cardamom that melts into a caramel-like layer as it cooks in ghee. A winter treat, often eaten with a glass of hot milk.
Gur paratha is a Punjabi bread from India, ready in about 59 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and jaggery / palm sugar. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 59 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 350
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For cooking
Method
Step 1
Mix the atta (opens in a new tab) and salt, rub in the oil, then add the water a little at a time, kneading for about 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough that no longer sticks to your fingers. Cover and rest for 20 minutes so it rolls out without springing back.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Mix the grated jaggery with the tablespoon of atta (opens in a new tab), the sesame (opens in a new tab), cardamom and fennel.
Step 3
Divide the dough and the filling into 6 equal portions. Flatten a dough ball into a 10 cm cup, pack in one portion of filling, then pleat the edges up over it and pinch firmly to seal. Turn it seam-side down, press flat, dust with flour and roll lightly from the centre outwards into a 15–16 cm round.
Roll sweet parathas a little smaller and thicker; melted jaggery escapes through thin dough.
Step 4
Lay a paratha on a hot tawa or heavy pan over medium-high heat. When small bubbles appear (about 30 seconds) flip it; after another 30 seconds brush the top with ghee (opens in a new tab), flip again and press the edges with a spatula (opens in a new tab) until golden-brown patches form. Brush and cook the second side the same way — 3 to 4 minutes per paratha in all.
- 24 min
- medium heat
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
- Spatula (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Melted jaggery is extremely hot and sticky — let the parathas rest a minute before biting.
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Punjab, India · Commonly attributedMade in Punjabi homes in winter when fresh jaggery is available.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Dessert · Breads & flatbreads · Sweets & confectionery
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried
- Taste
- sweet, buttery, nutty
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Whole-wheat flour · Jaggery / palm sugar · Sesame seeds · Ground cardamom · Ghee
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Kneading
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom ghee
- Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
350 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 118 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 8%
- Carbohydrate 67%
- Fat 25%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 350 kcal | 296 kcal |
| Protein | 7.1 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 61.9 g | 52.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 56.2 g | 47.6 g |
| Sugars | 24.5 g | 20.7 g |
| Added sugars | 24.3 g | 20.5 g |
| Fibre | 5.7 g | 4.8 g |
| Fat | 10.2 g | 8.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.6 g | 3.9 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 203 mg | 172 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 229 mg
- Calcium
- 57 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 79 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 56 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 24 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: fennel seeds.
- Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- If your jaggery is very soft, chill it for 10 minutes so it grates cleanly.
Common mistakes
- High heat burns the leaking jaggery and makes it bitter.
Serve with
- Serve warm with a glass of hot milk, or with white butter.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days at room temperature in a cloth.
Reheating
- Reheat on a dry tawa over medium heat for about a minute a side until crisp and hot through.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Structure
For the dough
- Whole-wheat flour300 g
- Salt0.5 tsp · 3 g
- Neutral vegetable oil2 tsp · 9.1 g
- Water189 ml · 189 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 39 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 20 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
- Start to finish: about 59 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat flour | Flour | 300 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 189 g | 63% |
| Neutral vegetable oil | Fat | 9 g | 3% |
| Salt | Salt | 3 g | 1% |
- Total flour
- 300 g
- Hydration
- 63%
- With milk, eggs…
- 63%
- Wholegrain
- 100%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
- Salt 1% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
- 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.
If something goes wrong
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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