How To Make The Everyday Indian Flatbread - Roti/Chapati

On the weekends, I would often wake up late to the sound of Ammi saying utho roti banao which meant 'wake up and make some bread'. I would lazily get out of bed, excited about getting fresh hot, ghee crisped roti drizzled with honey and thick cream to go with my chai, not as much about making roti.

Ammi always neatly ties her hair and covers it with a head scarf while making any bread. It is roti among all food that deserves utmost respect, she says. I often marvel at how bread has such religious and cultural significance in almost every culture.

Naan seems to be the popular flatbread outside India but back home naan is seldom eaten on daily basis and often limited to restaurants. In most North Indian homes, roti is the first thing to be made in the mornings. This unleavened flatbread is soft, light, wholesome and easiest to wrap around any morsel of food. The dough - a basic mix of flour and water when kneaded to different hardness and cooked differently (baked in tandoor, deep fried, layered) creates a unique bread, each one has it's own merit and combination with certain foods, but it is safe to say that a chapati pairs well with everything! If not with curries, it is equally good with a good old lemon pickle, chutney or with honey.

It all starts with good quality durum wheat atta. Though whole grain wheat flour can be used, the end results tends to be slightly chewy and seems to dry out faster as opposed to fine durum wheat flour. 

Mix in salt into the flour.

A little warm water makes kneading easier and dough softer but room temperature works fine as well.  Mix the flour with your fingers in circular motion adding little water at a time.

First, they start off looking like coarse sand. A little more water and it slowly starts coming together in a ball.

Once it comes together, knead the dough with your fist and knuckles till it is soft for around 10 minutes.

Get most of the dough off you hands while kneading. Ammi says a good dough is when the bowl and hands are as clean as washed. Well, let's try at least?

The dough might look uneven and tiny bit sticky but that's okay.

Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. I find that to be a good time, anything more and the dough looses moisture.

Moisten your hands with some oil or ghee and knead the dough for another 5 minutes.

It turns into a smooth, supple dough.

Roll the dough into a log and cut 10 equal size discs. Flatten one lightly and drench it  in flour on both sides. Keep the remaining balls covered with a damp cloth while you make the chapatis.

Start rolling them with a light hand from inside out. As a beginner,  your shapes might be everything but a round but don't be defeated, a little practise and you shall get there. 

Ideally, your hand should be light enough and surface floured well for the roti to roll on its own into a circle without you having to  twist or turn but for beginners it might be easier to just pick it up every now and then.

Heat the griddle/tawa to medium low and place chapati on it. Within 10 seconds flip to another side and increase the flame to medium high. Let it cook for a minute rotating the chapati every few seconds to ensure all the sides get cooked evenly. 

Once you see there are brown spots on the under side, flip it over.  Once flipped (as above), air will start filling up. 

You want to lightly press down with a dry towel on the areas filling up so as to encourage the air to pass through the entire roti. If there is any tear or hole, press the towel on it so the air doesn't escape. The air or the puff ensures that the bread is light and soft but even if it doesn't puff up entirely, it is going to be delicious.

 

Once the whole roti puffs up take it off stove. Again reduce the heat to medium low and continue making the remaining chapattis.

In the last stage of flipping, you could also place the roti directly over the gas flame for quicker puffing. This of course doesn't work with electric stoves and I find it inconvenient on modern stoves anyway. 

Once all the chapatis are ready, quickly brush some ghee on each one of them. You can skip this if you want to avoid the extra fat but ghee makes the world a better place. Usually fresh puffed roti without ghee is referred to as phulka which means one that has puffed.

Line the container (any container that retains heat for longer time) with a large cloth towel. As you cook chapati put them in the container and cover the ends of the cloth. Continue doing it till all the chapatis are made and then give it a final covering of the cloth. Cover with lid. Serve hot.

How To Make The Everyday Indian Flatbread - Roti/Chapati

Makes: 10, 7inch chapatis

Tools required

wooden or marble board to roll on

rolling pin

2 cotton towels 

a cup for ghee, oil or melted butter

small flat plate to keep flour for dusting and rolling

flat container with lid to keep chapatis in 

flat griddle or cast iron skillet with at least 8-9 inch diameter

Ingredients 

2 cups durum wheat atta or whole wheat flour sieved to remove germ

1 cup water, preferably warm

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil/ghee to moisten the hands

about 1/2 tsp ghee on each chapati, optional

Note

The size and thickness of the chapati varies not only from region to region but also from one home to another. We like our chapatis thinner and rolled around 7inch in diameter.  If it is your first time, it is easier to roll a thicker chapati at around 6 inches in diameter.

Method

It all starts with good quality durum wheat atta. Though whole grain wheat flour can be used, the end results tends to be slightly chewy and seems to dry out faster as opposed to fine durum wheat flour. 

Mix in salt into the flour.

A little warm water makes kneading easier and dough softer but room temperature works fine as well.  Mix the flour with your fingers in circular motion adding little water at a time.

First, they start off looking like coarse sand. A little more water and it slowly starts coming together in a ball.

Once it comes together, knead the dough with your fist and knuckles till it is soft for around 10 minutes.

Get most of the dough off you hands while kneading. The dough might look uneven and tiny bit sticky but that's okay.

Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. I find that to be a good time, anything more and the dough looses moisture.

Moisten your hands with some oil or ghee and knead the dough for another 5 minutes until it turns into a smooth, supple dough.

Roll the dough into a log and cut 10 equal size balls. Flatten one lightly and drench it in flour on both sides. Keep the remaining balls covered with a damp cloth while you make the chapatis.

Start rolling them with a light hand from inside out. As a beginner,  your shapes might be everything but a round but don't be defeated, a little practise and you shall get there. 

Ideally, your hand should be light enough and surface floured well for the roti to roll on its own into a circle without you having to twist or turn but for beginners it might be easier to just pick it up every now and then.

Heat the griddle/tawa to medium low and place chapati on it. Within 10 seconds flip to another side and increase the flame to medium high. Let it cook for a minute rotating the chapati every few seconds to ensure all the sides get cooked evenly. 

Once you see there are brown spots on the under side, flip it over.  Once flipped (as above), air will start filling up. 

You want to lightly press down with a dry towel on the areas filling up so as to encourage the air to pass through the entire roti. If there is any tear or hole, press the towel on it so the air doesn't escape. The air or the puff ensures that the bread is light and soft but even if it doesn't puff up entirely, it is going to be delicious.

Once the whole roti puffs up take it off stove. Again reduce the heat to medium low and continue making the chapati.

In the last stage of flipping, you could also place the roti directly over the gas flame for quicker puffing. This of course doesn't work with electric stoves and I find it inconvenient on modern stoves anyway. 

Once all the chapatis are ready, quickly brush some ghee on each one of them. You can skip this if you want to avoid the extra fat but ghee makes the world a better place. 

Line the container (any container that retains heat for longer time) with a large cloth towel. As you cook chapatis put them in the container and cover the ends of the cloth. Continue doing it till all the chapatis are made and then give it a final covering of the cloth. Cover with lid.

Serve hot with curries, pickles or use as a wrap.

Tips

With practice you will figure out how your dough acts. That is depending on the quality of flour, sometimes you may have to add a tsp or two of oil or ghee to keep it from drying. Using half milk instead of water for kneading also creates softer chapatis.

While freshly made dough yield the best rotis, keeping leftover dough in the fridge for a day won't hurt much. Just make sure to knead the dough for a minute or two with a bit of oil.

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