Chapatis

From a cookbook, Mangoes & Curry Leaves (p110-111) by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. I was borrowing this cookbook from a friend and had to return the book, but very much wanted to save this recipe.

CHAPATIS

Chapatis are one of the world’s simplest breads to make and one of the best to eat. A dough is made with flour, salt, and water, then balls of the dough are rolled out thin and cooked on a griddle or a skillet. Once you get the hang of making chapatis, you can turn out eight breads for breakfast or for dinner in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee (well. almost).

Chapatis, sometimes called rotis in the north of India and in Pakistan, are quintessential Subcontinent. Village people make them over a simple fire of dung, while people living on the street in Delhi, or herdsmen in the desert, cook them on a makeshift fire of scrap wood and brush. They are a true staple food (like rice) because they not only feed and nourish, but they also taste good day after day, meal after meal. Some of the best simple meals we have ever had have revolved around chapatis: chapatis and dad, chapatis and a curry.

If you’re making chapatis for the first time, try to find atta flour in a South Asian grocery. Atta is a special kind of whole wheat flour, made from hard durum wheat that is very finely ground. An attractive pale yellow brown in color, it makes the best chapatis because it is strong and makes a dough that rolls out very smoothly. The cooled breads have an inviting warm-grain flavor and fine texture.

About 2 cups atta flour, or substitute whole wheat flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
About 1 cup warm water

To make the dough by hand, in a medium bowl, mix together the 2 cups flour and the salt. Make a well in the middle and add a cup warm water. Mix with your hand or with a spoon until you can gather the mixture together into a dough (depending on your flour. you may need a little extra water or a little extra flour to make a kneadable dough). Turnout onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to to minutes.

To make the dough in a food processor. place the 2 cups flour and the salt in the processor and pulse to blend. With the machine going. slowly pour the water through the feed tube and continue to process for about 5 seconds after a ball of dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. (The longer the dough stands. the easier the breads are to shape and the more digestible they are.)

Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll each one into a ball under your lightly cupped palm. Place some flour on your work surface, dust your palm with flour, and flatten each ball in the flour, pressing both sides into the flour in turn.

To shape the breads. work with one piece at a time, leaving the others lightly covered. Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough with a rolling pin, without turning it over, rolling from the center outward with light strokes and rotating the bread slightly between each stroke, until it is 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Set aside and repeat with the remaining breads. Do not stack the rolled-out breads; if you don't have enough counter space for them all, roll out just a few and begin cooking, then roll out the others as the breads cook.

Heat a cast—iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the surface with a well—oiled cotton cloth or paper towel. When the griddle is hot, place a chapati top side down on the griddle and let it cook for only 10 to 15 seconds, then gently flip to the second side. Cook on the second side until small bubbles begin to form in the dough. approximately 1 minute. Turn the chapati back over and finish cooking, about another minute. At this stage, a perfect chapati will start to balloon. The process can be helped along by gently pressing on the bread. Because the bread is hot, we find the easiest method is to use a small cotton cloth or a paper towel wadded up to protect your fingertips. Gently press down on a large bubble, forcing the bubble to widen. If the bread starts to burn on the bottom before it has ballooned, move the bread (with the help of your paper towel) across the skillet, dislodging it from the point at which it is beginning to burn. When you are satisfied with your chapati, remove it and wrap in a clean towel.

Cook the other breads, stacking each as it is finished on top of the others and wrapping the stack in cloth to keep the breads soft and warm.

MAKES 8 BREADS, SERVES 3-4

Serve with any meal, or for breakfast or a snack. Use to scoop up salsa or to lift pieces of kebab, or wrap them around sandwich fillings.

VARIATIONS: You can include 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee or melted butter to make more tender breads. Add it to the flour and mix it in before adding the warm water; you will need a little less water. To make smaller breads, which are easier to handle, divide the dough into twelve pieces: the breads will be about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. And you can also cook the chapatis in oil or ghee: Put about 1/2 teaspoon oil or ghee on the hot skillet and spread it over the surface before you lay down each bread to cook.

MAKES 12 BREADS

PHULKA: If you cook the breads over a gas burner or a wood fire, you can make the version of chapati known as phulka or phulka roti. You need heatproof fingers (as most experienced chapati makers have), or a light touch with tongs. to do this successfully. Proceed as above, cooking the bread in a skillet. Once you have turned the bread back over onto the first side, cook it for a minute. then hold it vertically directly above the flame and turn it slowly to expose the edges to the heat. The bread will puff out as the air in it expands and the edges will get evenly cooked. You can also try doing this using the skillet as your heat source: Lift the chapati out of the skillet, place the edge on the hot surface, and then turn it slowly as if you were rolling it on the skillet so the whole outside edge gets exposed to the bot surface; the chapati should puff.

TANDOOR ROTI: Chapatis are sometimes baked in tandoor ovens. To bake your chapatis, set up the oven as described in Home—Style Tandoor Naan (page 116) and preheat it to 500°F before you start rolling out the breads. Place as many breads as will fit directly on the preheated stone or tiles and bake until done, about 2 minutes. They will usually puff up while baking and become touched with color. Use a long—handled spatula to remove them from the oven. Brush the top of each with a little ghee or melted butter if you wish, then stack them and wrap them in a cotton cloth to keep warm while you bake the remaining breads.