Indian Flat bread
Chapati/Roti रोटी is a staple food in most of the regions in India especially in the north and central India. Chapati is mainly made from whole meal flour. Back in the day I remember people used to buy wheat after its harvest and then it was kept for the whole years supply. I remember my grandfather used to travel and buy big sacks of wheat for our whole family. Then they were cleaned and were put up as a wheat mountain. I remember as a kid climbing up that wheat mountain and loving it. They were then stored in huge metal drums and kept away in the cellar for the whole year. Every month my mom would take out one big metal tin and get it into flour or we also had a wheat mill at home. Sometimes she did or got that done at home too. For Indians especially from the north, its must to have a Chapati with every meal otherwise they feel the meal is not complete. A warm chapati is one of the most comfort breads you can eat. Its rather simple to make, but with time and practice you can ace really fine round and thin chapatis.
Here is what we will need for 6-8 chapatis.
Ingredients:
250 gms Chapati flour/wholemeal flour
1/4 tap salt
about 200 ml lukewarm water
ghee or butter
Method:
Take the flour in a bowl, add the salt and slowly start adding the water and make a soft and silky dough.
Add a few drops of ghee/butter and start to knead it on the kitchen counter until it becomes nice and shiny and it doesn't stick to your hands.
Now make either 6 or 8 portions from the dough. Like a gold ball size.
Keep them convered in the bowl.
Heat a griddle or a crepe pan
Take one ball of dough out, dust it with some dry flour, shake the extra bit and with the help of a rolling pin start to roll out a flat chapati.
When it's done, take it in your hand, again dust out the flour and put it on the pan to cook.
When you start to see little bubbles on the chapati, turn it the other side and let it cook for another minute or so. You can also press it with a kitchen towel or a non stick flat spatula so that it blows like a ball.
When you see it's nicely cooked and roasted, take it out on a plate and smear it with ghee or butter.
Keep it warm and serve with any daal/lentils or a vegetable dish.
Tip: Chapati is an awesome bread to eat, also quite simple to make but yet a bit tricky. It only needs some practice. If you are a beginner I would suggest that you make very small ones like the size of a pita bread and slowly when you have mastered it you can make a bit bigger ones. The water quantity you wil need will entirely depend on the kind of flour you have used. The softer the dough the softer the chapatis are. But in the beginning keep the dough a bit tight as the soft one is a difficult to handle. Thanks and have fun, do post your pictures.