Homemade East Indian Chapati Bread Recipes

CHAPATI (EAST AFRICAN BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix 2 cups flour and salt together in a bowl. Slowly mix in enough water to make a thick dough. Mix in oil until combined.
• Knead dough on a cool surface for a few minutes, adding a few spoonfuls of flour. Return dough to the bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.
• Divide dough into orange-sized balls. Flatten into 6-inch circles. Fry in batches in the hot skillet, turning once, until golden brown and spotted, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Keep chapatis warm in the oven.

CHAPATIS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 mins until it is smooth. Divide into 10 pieces, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few mins.
• Heat a frying pan over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla.
• When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Put on a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the chapatis.

CHAPATI (INDIAN FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and the salt. Add 3/4 cup of the warm water while mixing constantly with your hands till the dough is moist. Add the remaining water, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing constantly with your hands. Keep working the dough till the dough forms a ball and holds its shape. (The dough will be stiff).
• Dampen your hands. Keep the dough in the mixing bowl to knead. Knead in an additional 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, if necessary, to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead dough till smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes). Continue dampening hands, as needed, during kneading. The dough is ready for shaping when you can lightly and quickly press two fingertips 1/4 inch into the dough and the dough springs back.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Let the dough stand in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 1 to 2 minutes more. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a 12 inch long roll. Cut each roll into 12 one-inch pieces. Flatten each piece of dough with the palm of the hand.
• Sprinkle some flour over the flattened balls. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• On a well floured surface roll the flattened ball into a circle 7 to 8 inches in diameter, turning the dough over once and firmly pressing and stretching the dough with the rolling pin.
• Roll around the rolling pin, and transfer to a hot, greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 1/2 to 1 minute or until tiny brown spots appear. Using tongs, turn and cook 30 seconds more. Remove from heat; Brush with Usli Ghee or melted shortening. Repeat with the remaining balls.
• Stack the hot Chapati in a napkin-lined breadbasket to keep warm. Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE EAST INDIAN CHAPATI BREAD

Steps:

• MEASURE the dry CHAPATI RECIPE ingredients first into large bowl of a food processor (omitting butter and water); PROCESS for 10 seconds; LEAVE processor running.
• ADD butter through feeder tube; PROCESS 10 seconds; WHISK the yogurt together with the water; SLOWLY pour yogurt/water mixture through feeder tube of processor while running; PROCESS dough ingredients until it forms a ball, about one minute.
• REMOVE dough from processor.
• DIVIDE the dough into 8 equal portions; ROLL out each piece to a circle between 1/16-1/8 inch thick on a well-floured surface (for crispy chapatis roll dough to 1/16''); SPRINKLE one side with desired toppings and/or seeds; LIFT chapati gently with a metal spatula; SPRINKLE other side with toppings; GENTLY roll top surface with a rolling pin.
• PLACE a heavy iron skillet over high heat until steam rises from it: LOWER heat to medium; ADD the first chapati to the pan.
• TURN the chapati over with a spatula when it begins to brown and bubble slightly (press down any high bubbles with spatula if necessary).
• TURN chapati once again.
• REMOVE the cooked chapati from the pan; BASTE lightly with melted butter or ghee; KEEP warm in foil lined with a paper towel.
• REPEAT the same cooking process for the remaining chapatis.
• SERVE warm with your favorite Indian entree with CUCUMBER-MINT YOGURT SAUCE or Major Grey chutney and enjoy!

NAAN BREAD (THE BEST RECIPE)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. The yeast should be activated when it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the flour to a flat surface and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast mixture, yoghurt, salt and oil, knead the dough until the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place (for example: beside the stovetop or warm oven). The dough should double in size, about 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough to a 8" circle using a rolling spin.
• Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place the dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and burnt spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat the same until all dough are done.
• Brush the naan with the melted butter, serve warm.

INDIAN CHAPATI BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.