Indian Chapati Bread Food

INDIAN WHOLE WHEAT GRIDDLE BREADS: CHAPATIS

Steps:

• Pour the flour and salt into a large bowl. Slowly pour water into the flour, moving your other hand through the flour in circular motions, until it starts to come together. Then, either in the bowl or on your counter (which you might want to lightly flour to prevent sticking), knead the dough for about 10 minutes. The dough should be soft and pliant.
• Return the ball of dough to the bowl and rub the surface of the dough with a little oil to keep it from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and allow to rest about 30 minutes.
• When you're ready to make chapatis, assemble your tools: a small, flat bowl of whole wheat flour, a small bowl of olive oil or melted butter with a small spoon in it, and a paper towel-lined plate or container for the finished breads.
• Heat a flat griddle or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, on a lightly-floured surface, work the ball of dough into a long log. Cut into 12 equal pieces by cutting it in half, and then half again. Cut each of the quarters into 3 equal pieces. Return to the bowl and cover with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
• To roll the chapatis: Roll a piece of dough between your palms to form a ball, and then flatten with your palm. Dunk this puck in the bowl of flour, and then roll until it's a 4-inch circle. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon of oil in the center of the circle, and spread it out almost to the perimeter of the circle using the back of the spoon. Fold the circle in half, then in half again, so it forms a triangle. Seal the edges, and dunk in flour again if it's sticky.
• Start rolling, turning the triangle a quarter turn after each roll, until it's about 6-inches wide, with an even thickness. After some practice you'll be able to roll the chapati and rotate it without picking it up; I do this by weighing down a little on my right hand and pushing the chapati around that way.
• Test the griddle by sprinkling a little flour on it; if it turns brown immediately, it's ready. Flapping the chapati between your hands to remove any excess flour, slap the chapati onto the griddle. It should start darkening almost immediately.
• When small bubbles start to form, spread a little oil over the surface of the chapati, then flip. It should start to puff up. Spoon a little oil over this side too, and when it's puffed up a little more, flip. Press down on the edges of the chapati with your spatula or (if you're brave!) with a dry rag. This will seal the edges and encourage the entire chapati to puff up. If you spot any holes, press down on those too so the air doesn't escape. Allowing the air to stay inside the whole chapati makes it flaky and light. But don't fret if your first few don't puff up; it takes practice! It will still taste delicious.
• Remove to your container. Repeat with the remaining dough, and serve the chapatis hot.

CHAPATI (INDIAN FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and the salt. Add 3/4 cup of the warm water while mixing constantly with your hands till the dough is moist. Add the remaining water, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing constantly with your hands. Keep working the dough till the dough forms a ball and holds its shape. (The dough will be stiff).
• Dampen your hands. Keep the dough in the mixing bowl to knead. Knead in an additional 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, if necessary, to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead dough till smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes). Continue dampening hands, as needed, during kneading. The dough is ready for shaping when you can lightly and quickly press two fingertips 1/4 inch into the dough and the dough springs back.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Let the dough stand in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 1 to 2 minutes more. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a 12 inch long roll. Cut each roll into 12 one-inch pieces. Flatten each piece of dough with the palm of the hand.
• Sprinkle some flour over the flattened balls. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• On a well floured surface roll the flattened ball into a circle 7 to 8 inches in diameter, turning the dough over once and firmly pressing and stretching the dough with the rolling pin.
• Roll around the rolling pin, and transfer to a hot, greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 1/2 to 1 minute or until tiny brown spots appear. Using tongs, turn and cook 30 seconds more. Remove from heat; Brush with Usli Ghee or melted shortening. Repeat with the remaining balls.
• Stack the hot Chapati in a napkin-lined breadbasket to keep warm. Serve immediately.

CHAPATIS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 mins until it is smooth. Divide into 10 pieces, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few mins.
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla.
• When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Put on a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the chapatis.

GLUTEN-FREE CHICKPEA CHAPATI - INDIAN FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Roll into 1" balls and pat flat.
• With a rolling pin, roll flattened dough balls into thin rounds.
• Heat a lightly oiled frying pan (cast iron recommended) until very hot. Reduce heat to medium high and heat each round for 1-2 minutes on each side, until warmed and slightly browned. Brush with ghee or olive oil and serve hot (store extras in the refrigerator).

CHAPATI RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients. Continue kneading for 5 minutes until it is soft and pliable.
• Divide the dough into portions between 40g to 45g each.
• Apply some oil on the top of the dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it relax for fifteen to twenty minutes.
• Flour the work surface heavily.
• Flatten the dough with your palm. Dip the dough into some flour and shake off the excess.
• Roll out the dough with the rolling pin to a circle of 15cm/6inches in diameter. (Please refer to the video for demonstration).
• Set the stove to medium-high to heat the tawa.
• Place the chapati on the tawa. When some larger bubbles appear, turn it over to the other side and cook for another half a minute.
• When some brown spots are starting to form at the bottom, flip it over again so that the side with the brown spots is on top.
• Tap to deflate the air to avoid the chapati's contact point with the tawa from burning due to high heat.
• Flip the chapati a few times until you get the desired color and remove it from the tawa.
• Apply a light coating of ghee on the top side.

INDIAN FLAT BREAD - CHAPATI

Steps:

• Mix the flour with room temperature water and stir to combine.
• Knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky.
• Let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide into small balls about half the size of a golf ball and dip into extra flour.
• Roll with a rolling pin into thin ½ cm round pancakes.
• Heat a heavy cast iron pan.
• Put the chapati onto the pan and cook for about 30 seconds than turn over and cook on the other side. When it starts to get golden on the bottom side turn it over again and cook for another minute. A sign of well done chapati is if it puffs up.
• Remove from the heat and spread ½ tsp ghee on the top side of the chapati.
• Wrap in a clean tea towel until ready to serve.

HOMEMADE EAST INDIAN CHAPATI BREAD

Steps:

• MEASURE the dry CHAPATI RECIPE ingredients first into large bowl of a food processor (omitting butter and water); PROCESS for 10 seconds; LEAVE processor running.
• ADD butter through feeder tube; PROCESS 10 seconds; WHISK the yogurt together with the water; SLOWLY pour yogurt/water mixture through feeder tube of processor while running; PROCESS dough ingredients until it forms a ball, about one minute.
• REMOVE dough from processor.
• DIVIDE the dough into 8 equal portions; ROLL out each piece to a circle between 1/16-1/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface (for crispy chapatis roll dough to 1/16''); SPRINKLE one side with desired toppings and/or seeds; LIFT chapati gently with a metal spatula; SPRINKLE other side with toppings; GENTLY roll top surface with a rolling pin.
• PLACE a heavy iron skillet over high heat until steam rises from it: LOWER heat to medium; ADD the first chapati to the pan.
• TURN the chapati over with a spatula when it begins to brown and bubble slightly (press down any high bubbles with spatula if necessary).
• TURN chapati once again.
• REMOVE the cooked chapati from the pan; BASTE lightly with melted butter or ghee; KEEP warm in foil lined with a paper towel.
• REPEAT the same cooking process for the remaining chapatis.
• SERVE warm with your favorite Indian entree with CUCUMBER-MINT YOGURT SAUCE or Major Grey chutney and enjoy!

ROTI RECIPE (BUTTERY INDIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Make the dough. In a large bowl or stand mixer, use a fork to whisk together 2 cups bread flour and 1 teaspoon salt. (I prefer kosher salt, but table salt is fine.)
• Add 2 tablespoons melted butter* and mix it in with the fork until the flour is crumbly. Make sure to break up any big chunks.
• Add 2/3 cup warm water. Mix it together with the fork until the dough pulls together. At this point, I start using the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer, but you can also turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape down any dough that sticks to the side, but it should form itself into a ball pretty quickly.
• Rest the dough. When you are done kneading, shape it into a ball. Leave it in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 20-45 minutes. The longer you rest the dough, the softer and more pliable your roti will be, and the easier it will be to roll out. (It will not rise at all, so don't expect it to look different after the rest period. This ain't no yeast recipe.)
• Roll out the dough. Prepare a work surface with a light dusting of flour. Divide dough into six equal parts. Use your fingers to pinch each piece into a smooth ball. (see photos)Take one ball and pat it into a disk with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough circle about 8-9 inches across. It should be rolled out very thin, see photos. (If you want to roll all the dough out at once before frying, stack the sheets, each one separated with a square of parchment paper so they don't stick together. I prefer to roll out my next piece of dough while I'm frying the first one, so I don't do this.)
• Cook the Roti. Set a cast iron skillet, griddle, or large frying pan over medium or medium high heat. Let it preheat for at least a couple minutes so that it's very hot.Add about a teaspoon of butter to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.
• Transfer the very thin sheet of roti dough to the pan. Wait about 6 or 7 seconds, then use your fingers or a spatula to flip the roti over. You may need to add more butter; if there is not enough, the roti will not be soft. It will cook in 30 to 50 seconds. Adjust the heat as necessary so that the roti cooks quickly (under a minute) but does not burn. Every stove is different so you will have to play around. You will know it is done when light brown spots appear on the side that is cooking. The top should have a few bubbles. Flip the roti back to the original side (using more butter if necessary) just until the brown spots appear, another 20-30 seconds.
• Steam the Roti. This step is super important to get soft and pliable roti! Place a paper towel inside a large ziplock bag. When the roti is done frying, place roti on top of the paper towel in the bag. Top the roti with another paper towel (it should not be touching the plastic or it will get soggy.) Seal the bag. As you fry the remaining roti, add them to the ziplock directly on top of the first roti, with a paper towel on top. The roti will steam each other in the center. Keep the bag closed as much as possible. You can also skip these steps and steam roti in a tortilla warmer.
• Serve the roti hot, with curry and rice.
• Store leftover roti in a ziplock bag lined with paper towels.
• Freezing Roti: Layer your roti between sheets of parchment paper so they don't stick to each other, and seal in a ziplock bag. Store flat in the freezer.To reheat, you can either let thaw in the bag at room temperature, then reheat gently in the microwave (don't overdo it or they will get tough.) Or you can re-grill the roti straight from frozen, using the same method as the first time.

ROTI-CHAPATI-FLAT-INDIAN-BREAD

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt, and water to make soft dough, adding water as needed. Knead the dough for about one minute on a lightly greased surface to make it smooth and pliable. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside at least ten minutes..
• Divide the dough into four equal parts. Make smooth balls and press flat. Before rolling the roti press both sides of the ball on a dry floured surface to make them easy to roll.
• Roll to form a six-inch-diameter circle. Use just enough dry flour to roll the roti, as too much flour will make them dry. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly dust the rotis with dry flour.
• Heat an iron or heavy skillet on medium high heat. To test, sprinkle a few drops of water on the skillet. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready. Place the one roti into the skillet. When the roti start to change color and start puffing flip it over. There will be some golden brown spots.
• Flip again after a few seconds. Using a flat spatula, press lightly on the puffed parts of the roti. This will help the roti puff up. Flip the roti again, until it has light golden-brown spots on both sides.
• Repeat the same process for remaining roties. Butter the roti, the side that is facing the skillet.
• Place the rotis in a container lined with a paper towel. Cover the container after each roti.

INDIAN-SPICED CHAPATI FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt, cumin, and garlic together in a bowl.
• Stir in water and oil.
• Knead for 2-3 minutes, till dough is somewhat soft.
• Let sit for 25-30 minutes in a warm draft-free place.
• Divide dough into 4 balls and flatten each until 4-5 inches in diameter by hand or with a well-oiled rolling pin.
• Heat a frying pan on high heat and place one flattened ball in the pan. Do NOT use oil in the pan.
• When the dough becomes mostly translucent, flip it and cook the other side.
• When both sides are slightly browned, remove from pan and immediately spread one side of the bread with margarine. Repeat with the other 3.
• Serve hot.

INDIAN CHAPATI BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.