Chapatis or phulkas is the daily bread for millions of Indians. No meal is complete without them and yet many find them difficult to make.These are called so because they swell up with steam while being cooked.They are cooked first on a dry hot tava, then held directly over a flame where they "phulao" ("swell" in Hindi) with steam to the point of bursting. Indian households knead the dough fresh for every meal and the Roti is almost invariably served freshly rolled and baked. Some prefer to puff up the Roti over the fire after it is cooked on the griddle and some like to keep it flat. Some variations of Rotis are Parathas (Indian Fry Bread), Puris (Indian Deep Fried Bread), Naan (Nan) and Kulchas. Basically there are 7 types of rotis or Indian breads namely roti, chapati, naan, poori , Bhatura, Paratha and Kulcha.



Ingredients:
2 cups Wheat Flour
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Salt
Water to knead dough (take luke warm water half the ratio of flour i.e., in ratio of 2:1)
Extra dough for rolling the Chapatis.



Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, take the flour and add 1 tbsp oil. Rub the flour between your palms so that the oil in incorporated the dough.
2. Add salt to it. Now add water, a little at a time and knead the flour to make a stiff dough .
3. For best results, cover the dough with cheese cloth and leave it for 30 minutes.
4. Now take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball between your palms.
5. Flatten the ball of dough by pressing it in a seperate bowl of whole wheat flour.
6. Dust the flat dough liberally on both sides with the flour.
7. Place the dough on a flat surface and with a rolling pin roll out a 6 inch flat Roti.
8. Use circular movements of the rolling pin to get a perfect circle which is evenly thick all over.
9. The Roti should be as thin as a slice of cheese .
10. If the dough gets stuck to the rolling pin while rolling, dust it with more flour.
11. Now heat a Tava or a flat Griddle, reduce the heat to medium and flip the rolled out Roti on the griddle.
12. Cook it on one side for about 10-15 seconds and flip it over before you start to see big brown spots (undercooked).
13. Cook on the other side for another 15-20 seconds or until you see brown spots to indicate the Roti is cooked on this side.
14. Keep turning the Roti on the griddle so that it does not stick.
15. Finally, flip the Roti again on the fist side and finish cooking for another 5-10 seconds.
16. Alternatively, you can remove the Roti from the griddle and place the first side (undercooked) on a direct flame for 5-10 seconds to puff the Roti.
17. Remove when the Roti is puffed and cooked.
18. Serve Rotis hot with any hot Indian vegetable or Curry. You can brush the Roti with a little hot Ghee or Oil for an authentic taste.

Making Time: 25 minutes
Serves: makes 8 chapatis approximately.
Shelflife: 1 day.



Note: To get really soft chapatis, the trick lies in the kneading. Use fresh yoghurt or milk instead of water! When you're done kneading the dough and it is smooth, wet your hand with water and run it all over the surface of the ball of dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for half an hour before using.


Click here to know more about Maharashtrian Recipes and cuisines- Introduction To Maharashtrain Recipes.

Click here to know more about Indian Breads - Introduction To Indian Breads.