The easiest of the Indian breads, chapatis are a simple unleavened flatbread. They are cooked on a medium-hot tawa or griddle, with no oil.
They are made from atta which is a whole wheat flour made from hard wheat. Hard wheat has a high protein and gluten content, so dough made of atta is strong and can be rolled out very thin. Atta is readily available from good supermarkets or Indian grocers. If unavailable, a durum wheat flour will substitute.
The dough is used as the base for a number of breads.
The secret to a good chapati is to knead the dough well and roll it to be very thin. I have seen them almost transparent from some street vendor stalls.
They taste best straight from the griddle. I can also advise cooking a few more than you think you need. They seem to disappear when cooking for a group.
the recipe
equipment
- large bowl
- tawa - or griddle
ingredients
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- 200 ml water - warm
- 500 g whole wheat flour - (atta)
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp ghee - softened
instructions
- Add the jaggery to the warm water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- Mix the flour and salt into a bowl and rub in the ghee. Start adding the warm water and jaggery and knead in the bowl to form a soft, smooth dough. The longer you knead the dough the softer the chapatis will be. Divide the dough into eight equal balls. Cover, and set aside to rest for half an hour.
- Roll each ball into a thin disc. Heat a tawa or flat griddle over medium heat, cook the chapati for about one minute on each side until it has golden patches. Serve immediately.
notes
private notes
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i have seen them transcendant!