Chapati, the staple wheat bread of India…
Chapati has been one of the famous and common wheat flatbreads made by almost everyone in India. In fact, this is made for dinner, sometimes even for breakfast at many houses. In my hometown, rice and rice flatbreads or rotis have been the staple food, and the people there literally cannot think of a day without eating rice. Mostly they have rice during lunch and they take a break from rice by making chapati for dinner. Even at my parent’s house chapatis are made often for dinner.
I always prefer wheat chapati over rice roti, and it goes along well with almost all kinds of curries. I still remember how I used to help my mom make chapatis, it wasn’t an easy task for me back then. I’d always faced trouble making soft doughs, rolling the dough to a round shape, and also cooking it. Making the perfect soft and puffy chapatis need some practice and experience. After a few trials, you can perfect the art of making chapati.
There are three major steps in chapati preparation: making the soft dough, rolling the dough to a round shape, and then cooking it on a skillet or tawa. Firstly, it’s about the soft dough, the dough should be kneaded well. Then comes the rolling of dough into a round shape, at first it would be hard to attain the round shape, after a while, you’ll be amazed to see you are almost there making round shapes. While cooking chapati, you need to ensure not to overcook it as it would turn hard.
Alright, keep these in mind and get ready to make awesome chapatis.
Tips for making the perfect puffed up chapatis
- Dough should be soft
- Skillet or tawa should be hot
- After placing the rolled dough on the hot pan, flip the dough over before the bottom side gets cooked or brown spots start to appear. You don’t need to cook the bottom side at this point it should just get hot.
- After you flip the dough over, cook till brown spots appear on the bottom side, again flip it over and gently press on the sides of the dough and it will puff like a balloon.
Perfectly puffed up Chapati
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour or Atta- 2 cups
- Water- 1 cup
- Salt- 1/2 tsp
- Oil- 1 tsp
Instruction
- In a large bowl, combine wheat flour & salt.
- Add water little by little & knead well for at least 5 minutes.
- The dough should be soft, if the dough is hard sprinkle water and knead it.
- How soft the dough gets also depends on the kind of wheat flour you are using. In some atta or chapati flour, all-purpose flour will also be added, which will make the dough hard.
- Knead the dough into a round shape, add oil on the top spread it over, and keep aside for 5 minutes.
- Make medium-sized balls out of the dough.
- Place the dough ball on the wooden board or clean countertop.
- Sprinkle some wheat flour and using a rolling pin roll it to a round shape.
- Keep rotating the dough while rolling to get the round shape and sprinkle the flour to avoid sticking to the surface.
- Heat a skillet or tawa or non-stick pan over medium heat, and let turn hot.
- Place the rolled dough on the pan.
- In just 10 seconds (you don’t need to cook the bottom side at this point it should just warm up) flip the dough to the other side.
- Using a flat spatula, gently press on the sides of the dough, will slightly puff up.
- Now, turn to the other side and most of the time it will puff up by itself, else gently press the sides using a spatula.
- Once it’s puffed up, remove it from the pan.
- If you want you could spread a teaspoon of ghee on the hot cooked chapatis.
- Don’t overcook the chapati, it will turn hard.
- Wheat flour or Atta- 2 cups
- Water, lukewarm- 1 cup
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Oil- 1 tsp
- I buy the store-bought wheat flour or atta for making chapatis from the Indian store.
- In a large bowl, combine wheat flour & salt.
- Add water little by little & knead well for at least 5 minutes.
- The dough should be soft, if the dough is hard sprinkle water and knead it.
- How soft the dough gets also depends on the kind of flour you are using. In some atta or chapati flour, all-purpose flour will also be added, which will make the dough hard.
- Knead the dough into a round shape, add oil on the top spread it over, and keep aside for 5 minutes.
- Make medium-sized balls out of the dough.
- Place the dough ball on the wooden board or clean countertop.
- Sprinkle some flour and using a rolling pin roll the dough to a round shape.
- Keep rotating the dough while rolling to get the round shape and sprinkle flour to avoid sticking to the surface.
- Heat a skillet or tawa or non-stick pan over medium heat, let turn hot.
- Place the rolled dough on the pan.
- In just 10 seconds (you don't need to cook the bottom side at this point it should just warm up) flip the dough to the other side.
- Using a flat spatula, gently press on the sides of the dough, will slightly puff up.
- Let brown spots appear on the bottom side.
- Flip it to the other side and most of the time it will puff up by itself, otherwise gently press the sides using a spatula.
- Once it's puffed up, remove the chapati from the pan.
- Spread ½ teaspoon of ghee on the hot cooked chapatis.
- Don't overcook the chapati, it will turn hard.
- Enjoy with any kind of curries.
Dough should be soft: use hot water or you could even use milk to make the dough soft.
Skillet or tawa should be hot
After placing the rolled dough on the hot pan, flip the dough over before the bottom side gets cooked or brown spots start to appear. You don't need to cook the bottom side at this point it should just get hot.
After you flip the dough over (first flip), cook till brown spots appear on the bottom side, again flip it over (second flip) and gently press on the sides of the dough and it will puff like a balloon.
