Indian flatbread recipe. How to make Indian flatbread: recipes and cooking methods

Indian bread in national cuisine is used not only as an addition to certain dishes, but also as a substitute for cutlery, which Indians use to pinch food from plates. It is not necessary to repeat the second option, but we still recommend preparing it for use according to its usual purpose.

Indian chapati recipe

Ingredients:

  • flour - 2 tbsp.;
  • warm water - 3/4 cup;
  • salt - a pinch;
  • vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking

Sift the flour into a deep bowl and mix it with salt. Gradually pouring warm water into the flour, we try to knead a soft, but at the same time not sticky dough. As soon as the dough ball is assembled, we begin to add portions of butter to it, driving it into the dough. We divide the finished dough into 10 equal portions, each of which is rolled into a thin cake.

We heat a dry frying pan and fry Indian wheat cakes on it on both sides for 30 seconds.

Indian paratha bread

Ingredients:

  • wheat flour - 1 3/4 tbsp.;
  • salt - 1/2 teaspoon;
  • butter (melted) - 3 tbsp. spoons;
  • milk - 1/2 tbsp.;
  • vegetable oil - for frying.

Cooking

Sift flour into a bowl and mix with salt. Pour the butter into the flour mixture and knead everything with your hands until crumbs form. Without ceasing to knead the dough, we begin to gradually add milk in portions until the dough becomes homogeneous and elastic, but does not stick to your hands. We form a ball from the dough, cover it with a film and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Punch down the rested dough and divide into 4 pieces. We roll each part into a cake and grease its surface with melted butter. Now we pick up the cake with our fingers, forming folds from the dough, and turn the finished sausage into a snail. We roll the snail from the dough into a cake and fry until golden brown in vegetable oil.

Indian naan bread

Ingredients:

Cooking

Pour yeast and sugar with warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix the flour with salt and pour the yeast solution into the mixture. Then add 3 tablespoons of oil and. Knead the soft dough and let it rise for 90 minutes. After the time has elapsed, knead the dough again for 10 minutes and divide into 8 parts. Roll each part into a cake and put them on a baking sheet covered with foil. Sprinkle each cake with onion seeds and send it to the oven preheated to 200 degrees to bake until golden brown. Brush the naan with oil before serving.

Chapati is an Indian bread that is very popular among vegetarians. These flat cakes are interesting in that they swell up like balls during baking, forming a cavity inside where you can put any filling. When I studied at the university and lived in a student hostel, I saw a couple of times how chapati cakes are being prepared. And although the girl who baked them assured me that later it was better to keep the cakes over an open fire to “inflate”, I was convinced from my own experience that with the right kneading of the dough, they rise perfectly in the pan.

So, dough. It's great if you have whole wheat flour or atta flour, but you can also bake with regular wheat flour.

Add salt to flour and hot water. Knead the dough - like dumplings. It should be soft and not stick to your hands. Put the dough for 2 hours (or better at night) in a plastic bag so that it "ripens".

Tear off small pieces from the dough and roll them into balls, or roll the sausage out of the dough and cut it into small pieces, and only then form balls. Each ball must be rolled into a cake (5mm thick). Remember to add flour when you roll out the dough so that the cakes do not stick to the table or rolling pin.

We take the cake and put it on a heated frying pan without oil! We bake it on one side, then turn it over and bake it on the other side. I don’t know what this is connected with, but my cakes begin to rise already when baking on the first side, but it happens the other way around when you turn them over.

I tried to bake both large chapatis like pancakes, and very small ones - both are obtained. Although at first I was worried that it would be difficult for a large cake to rise.

If suddenly the cake does not rise, then hold it over the fire. I adapted a grill grate for this purpose.

Hot chapatis can simply be greased with butter, or you can put any filling into the resulting cavities.

They are delicious when hot. Well, if you are going to store them for some time, then to avoid dryness, store them in a bag.

I had the wild rice ready and I put it in the chapatis to show how great the "bag" of the flatbread is.

In the Indian family, it is unthinkable to imagine, perhaps, not a single meal without a chapati! According to tradition, they must be served warm, freshly removed from the fire. Slices are torn off from the cake, still glowing with heat, and dipped in sauces, capturing pieces of all kinds of dishes. In the northern part of the country, chapatis are served with fillings, in particular, the filling of mashed potatoes and fried onions is popular.

What flour is suitable for chapati?

Bread cakes are prepared from special flour, which is obtained by grinding whole grains of wheat. In Indian shops, a special kind of flour is sold, it is called atta - a finely ground dark yellow powder. The dough from such flour is easily kneaded, it turns out velvety and elastic, without lumps. You can replace atta with whole wheat flour, which contains bran for the most part and is as close to the original as possible, but it must be sifted.

How to bake chapatis?

Chapati is baked on a tava - a special cast-iron frying pan without sides with a convex bottom. It is warmed up well so that the bread bakes faster and better, and is not too dry. Oil is not added, cooked in a completely dry frying pan, and then kept on an open fire so that the cake swells from the steam like a ball. At home, tava can be replaced with a heavy cast iron pan with a handle, and “inflated” on a gas burner. Let's take a closer look at the recipe for Indian bread - how to cook chapati from whole grain flour at home on a gas stove.

Total cooking time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 15 pieces

Ingredients

  • sifted whole grain flour - 250 g
  • warm water - 150 ml
  • salt - 0.5 tsp.

How to cook chapatis

I sifted the whole wheat flour through a fine sieve. In a bowl, I combined 250 g of flour and a little more than 0.5 tsp. salt. Then she gradually poured in water (the temperature was slightly higher than room temperature), kneading with her hands so that not a tight, but a soft dough was obtained. The water rate is approximate! Consumption depends on the quality, grinding and moisture content of the flour. Therefore, pour it in parts, in several stages, kneading with your hands, until you achieve the desired consistency.

The dough should turn out moderately wet, soft, elastic and pliable, like plasticine. I transferred it to the board and kneaded it for a long time, 6-8 minutes, so that it became homogeneous. Pay due attention to the kneading, then the dough will be easy to roll out and bake well. I sprinkled the kneaded “bun” with water, covered it with a damp towel and left it for 20-30 minutes to rest. You can leave it on the table up to 2 hours, but then do not forget to moisten the towel so that the surface does not dry out.

As soon as the dough rested, I put the cast iron pan on the stove, let it warm up. You don't need to add oil. With wet hands, she again crushed the bun and divided the dough into 15 identical parts, rolled up the balls.

The board was lightly sprinkled with flour. With a rolling pin sprinkled with flour, I rolled the balls into cakes - round, about 14-15 cm in size. Next, you need to shake off the excess flour, otherwise the grains will burn on an open fire and crumble heavily on the stove.

She laid out the cakes one at a time on a hot frying pan. Bake for about a minute, until whitish bubbles begin to appear on the surface, and the edges wrap up.

I turned the bread over to the other side (most conveniently with tongs) and baked for about another half a minute, until the surface began to swell and bubbled.

After a few seconds, the cake should puff up a lot from the steam. There should be no wet areas on the surface. A little flour may crumble, brown spots will appear - this is normal.

Chapati should be served to the table immediately, immediately after preparation, with heat from the heat. If desired, you can pat the cake with your hands to release the steam, and then grease with a piece of butter. And you can serve just like that, to traditional Indian dishes. I cooked rajma curry, very tasty!

If you want to extend the shelf life of the cakes, then wrap them in a towel, then the chapatis will retain heat for some time and remain soft. In the air, they quickly dry out and become crispy, like pita bread. Enjoy your meal!


On a note

Chapati can be baked on an electric stove. In this case, first bake the rolled dough in a pan, turning several times until it is completely baked on both sides. Then cover the upper side with a soft cloth and press lightly, hold for a while until the chapati puffs up.

For Hindus, bread is part of their culture. He is loved, respected and generally treated with great respect. It is worth noting that the bread in this country is the famous Indian cakes.

Types of bread

Indian cuisine is very diverse, so even such a simple product as bread, there are several types. The most famous Indian flatbreads:

In national cuisine, there are dozens of different ways and options for their preparation. Every woman in India should know how to bake bread. Needless to say, this is not an easy task. First you need to know that Indian cakes are made mainly from certain types of flour:

  • maida (a product of finely ground varieties),
  • atta (coarsely ground durum wheat),
  • rice,
  • bean.

A specific flour is used for each product. This further determines its appearance and taste. There are even certain rules that regulate how, when and with what you need to eat certain cakes. Interestingly, Indians sometimes use their unusual bread as original cutlery. This habit has been preserved among many eastern peoples.

Basic cooking rules

Usually Indian flatbreads are cooked in deep pans, on heated metal sheets, in a clay oven or in a huge frying pan. Each type of bread has its own specific method. And the process of preparing some of them resembles a real ritual. For example, the dough for "rumali roti" is rolled out first with a rolling pin, and then with your hands, gently turning it over in the air. The result is a very thin round billet of rather large diameter. This is probably where the name of this cake comes from. From Hindi, the word "rumali" is translated as "handkerchief". Indeed, it turns out very similar. Such a “handkerchief” is put on a frying pan turned upside down and baked over low heat. It is not difficult to do this procedure, since the dough for these cakes, as a rule, is made very soft and elastic. It practically flies in the air, and then, like a thin film, is superimposed on the pan and cooked in just a matter of minutes.

Puff envelopes

Everyone is able to try to cook Indian at home, you can choose any. It all depends on the taste of the chef. Take, for example, crispy "paratha". To prepare the dough you will need:

  • 300 grams of wheat flour of two varieties (200 grams of coarse and 100 grams of fine grinding),
  • a teaspoon of salt
  • 150 milliliters of water (necessarily warm),
  • a couple tablespoons of melted butter.

Cooking process:

  1. Pour all the flour into a wide container.
  2. Add oil and rub the ingredients together thoroughly.
  3. Gradually adding the remaining ingredients, knead the dough, cover it with a damp cloth and leave to ripen for 25-30 minutes.
  4. The finished dough is divided into several equal parts, each of which is rolled into a layer.
  5. Lubricate the resulting workpiece with oil and fold in half.
  6. Repeat this procedure again.
  7. Roll the prepared semi-finished product thoroughly with a rolling pin, put it on a very hot frying pan and fry well on both sides.
  8. Then oil the top layer again. After that, the cake will puff up a little.
  9. Flip it over and do the same with the other side.

Now you can serve golden Indian cakes to the table. The recipe calls for eating them hot. And if the guests are late, it is better to wrap it with a cloth for a while so that the product remains warm.

Dough ball

"Puri" - Indian cakes in the form of a ball look very impressive on the table. It's easy to cook them. To do this, you need to have the simplest products from the calculation: for a glass of flour - ½ glass of water, a teaspoon of vegetable oil and half a teaspoon of salt.

And you need to prepare as follows:

  1. Mix flour with salt.
  2. Add water and knead a fairly thick dough.
  3. Pour in the oil and mix well again.
  4. Cover the finished dough with cling film on all sides and leave it alone for 30 minutes.
  5. The ripened mass is divided into parts, each of which is rolled into a bun, and then crushed with a rolling pin.
  6. Bring vegetable oil to a boil in a pan. Alternately put the cakes into it and fry on both sides, gently turning over with a slotted spoon. There should be enough oil so that the workpieces are completely covered with it, that is, they are deep-fried.

After a few minutes, you can safely lay out ready-made “puris” on a napkin. Indian flatbreads of this kind are perfect as a hearty breakfast. And it is best to serve stewed vegetables as a side dish.

Easy recipe for your favorite bread

The Indian flatbread "chapati" is still the most popular among the population. And this is despite the fact that it contains only water and flour. Even salt is added only to taste. But this does not make the famous cake worse at all. It can be prepared at home without much effort. It is only necessary to observe the following ratio of products: for 160 grams of wholemeal flour, you need to take half a glass (i.e. 100 milliliters) of water.

  1. Knead the dough from the prepared ingredients with your hands. Cover it on all sides with a towel and leave for half an hour.
  2. Then sprinkle the workpiece with flour and repeat the kneading again.
  3. Divide the dough randomly into pieces, roll them into a ball, and then flatten into a cake.
  4. Sprinkle semi-finished products with flour on both sides. Gently roll each into a thin, larger cake.
  5. Heat the pan and put the workpiece on it without adding oil. Fry on both sides for 3 minutes until characteristic brown spots appear.

"Chapati" should be eaten hot, lubricated with butter. The cooled tortillas can be used to make stuffed sandwiches.

Delicious "naan"

According to local residents, Indian naan cakes are considered the most delicious. They are prepared very simply and do not require any exquisite ingredients. So, the list of necessary products: for 3 cups of flour - 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or other fat), dry yeast and 1 cup of water and milk (or yogurt).

Cooking sequence:

  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and leave for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead into a soft but very sticky dough.
  3. Put it for a couple of hours in the oven for proofing at a temperature of 35 degrees.
  4. Divide the finished dough into portions and leave under a towel for another 30 minutes.
  5. Put the blanks on a baking sheet, stretching each of them along the length.
  6. Bake on high heat on both sides.

The bread is soft and fluffy. It can be sprinkled with seasonings, and then the pieces of such cakes are dipped in a specially prepared sauce.

Bread with filling

Indian tortillas with cheese are another kind of national bread. Outwardly, they are very similar to the Georgian "khachapuri". But the difference is noticeable in taste. To prepare such a specific product, you will need: for 3 cups of flour - 2 eggs, one teaspoon of sugar and salt, a glass of kefir, a teaspoon of soda, 50 grams of butter and hard cheese, 15 grams of vegetable oil.

Cooking:


Lightly grease the finished product with oil so that the cake is softer.

Culinary Secrets

Not everyone has the opportunity to go to India and taste real national bread there. No problem. Experienced experts tell you how to cook Indian flatbread in a typical home kitchen. For example, Indian "paratha" with potatoes. As you know, most Indians are vegetarians, so this recipe is most welcome. For work you will need:

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 4 potatoes
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • half a teaspoon of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil,
  • a bunch of greens (feather onions, dill and parsley),
  • some garlic and ground black pepper.

Making vegetable paratha is easy. For this you need:

  1. Mix salt with flour, pour in oil, and then, gradually adding water, knead the dough. The result should be an elastic bun. Set it aside for 20 minutes.
  2. Boil potatoes. During this time, chop the greens. Connect the components together until a homogeneous mass is formed. You can add some minced garlic if you like.
  3. Divide the dough into pieces, each of which is rolled into a thin layer.
  4. Put the filling in the middle of each sheet and roll it up in the form of an envelope. Then roll it with a rolling pin into a cake.
  5. Fry the preparations in a pan.

Hindus usually eat vegetarian "paratha" with spicy sauce.

Step-by-step recipes for making Indian flatbreads and various options: chapati, puri, paratha, pumpkin, chickpea flour

2018-05-26 Galina Kryuchkova

Grade
prescription

967

Time
(min)

servings
(people)

In 100 grams of the finished dish

7 gr.

1 gr.

carbohydrates

33 gr.

178 kcal.

Option 1: Classic Indian Flatbread Recipe

Flat and unleavened bread is called chapati. It is difficult to reproduce Indian cakes without special grinding flour, spices and special utensils. Ask for ingredients at Indian trade fairs. Buy with a margin. It seems that the dish is prepared simply, but the first time it may not work out. Skills, dexterity and our step-by-step recommendations are required.

Ingredients:

  • 260 gr. wholemeal flour;
  • 175 ml of water.

Step by Step Recipe for Classic Indian Flatbreads

Warm up the water.

Sprinkle flour onto a dish.

Make a hole in the center of the flour hill.

Pour water in there.

Pour the flour in small portions into the hole with water.

Knead a tight dough.

Now wipe the dough for Indian cakes with flour, wrap with a clean wet towel and leave to rest for about thirty minutes.

Divide the dough into nine pieces.

Roll out the cakes.

In India, chapatis are laid out and fried on tawi. We will be using a cast iron skillet. Put it on the fire, let it warm up well.

Sprinkle some flour on the bottom of a cast iron skillet.

Lay out the chapatis. Take one minute.

Then the Indian cake can be turned over to the other side.

Spread the cakes and bake on both sides for one minute. Serve warm with sauce or vegetable soup.

Option 2: Instant Indian Flatbread

Making any kind of Indian flatbread does not take much time. The whole cooking process consists of three stages: kneading the dough, forming products and baking. You can cheat and add high-speed yeast, so the dough rises faster.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. ordinary wheat flour;
  • Fast-acting yeast according to the instructions on the package;
  • 4 tbsp. l. ghee oils;
  • 1 st. milk;
  • 1 gr. anise;
  • 10 gr. greens;
  • 1 st. l. vegetable oil;
  • Salt and sugar.

How to quickly cook Indian flatbread

Pour anise, salt, yeast, sugar and flour into one cup.

Stir the dry mixture.

Pour warm milk into flour with additives.

Knead the dough until firm.

Coat the dough with vegetable oil.

Divide the dough into five or six pieces.

Chop greens.

Add greens to each piece of dough.

Roll out portioned cakes.

Turn on the oven. Let it heat up, and the products will melt during this time.

Bake for 5 minutes on a hot baking sheet.

Brush hot Indian flatbread with ghee and serve with a variety of sauces.

Interesting: what is the secret Indian oil? You know, but it is no different from Russian cream. Melt it in a water bath, bring to a boil, let stand and pour into a clean and dry jar. Can be salted and stored without refrigeration.

Option 3: Indian puri fried in boiling oil

These are crispy little cakes. They are fried in a large amount of oil, which is poured into karhai. We will cook puri in any deep saucepan with thick walls or in a slow cooker using the "Frying" program.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. flour;
  • 2 tbsp. tablespoons of melted butter;
  • 1 st. water;
  • Oils for frying.

How to cook

Knead the usual unleavened dough. You will need flour, warm water and salt.

While kneading, pour in portions of warm ghee. This will make the dough softer and more elastic.

The dough must be well kneaded. Let the process of making puri become a lesson in Indian meditation for you, focus on the desire to treat your household with delicious Indian cakes.

Roll the dough into a ball and wrap it in a damp towel.

Let the dough rest, and after half an hour, remove the towels and get ready to form cakes.

To do this, divide the dough into seven equal parts. First roll into small balls, coat them with oil, and then roll out.

Pour the oil into a convenient dish: a deep fryer, a multicooker bowl, a roaster, or a regular deep frying pan.

Slowly lower one donut into the hot oil.

Is the dough golden brown and bubbling? Rather, turn over the donut.

Fry all donuts.

There is no such person who would not like crispy bubble dumplings. If you need to win someone's favor, be sure to treat them with homemade puris.

Option 4: Indian Stuffed Paratha

This type of Indian bread is similar to chapatis but is filled with butter and vegetables. In this recipe, I suggest making a layer of potatoes, garlic and herbs.

Ingredients:

  • 240 gr. flour;
  • 17 gr. ghee;
  • 100 ml of water;
  • 150 gr. potatoes;
  • 50 gr. greens;
  • 6 gr. garlic;
  • Salt and pepper.

Step by step recipe

Place the peeled potatoes in the spice water. While the future filling is being cooked, take care of the dough.

Knead flour and water into a soft elastic dough.

Wrap the dough in a towel or cling film.

Let the dough rest for an hour.

For Indian tortillas, you will need a delicious filling. Drain the hot water in which the potatoes were boiled.

Add butter to potatoes and mash.

Choose greens for the filling to your taste: parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, basil.

Chop the garlic and chop the greens.

Mix puree with herbs.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces.

Roll out all the dough pieces.

Brush each pastry with oil.

Put mashed potatoes with greens in the center of the cakes.

Gather the edges of the cake together and pinch.

Flip the bun seam down.

Press the ball with the filling lightly with your hands, and then roll it out.

Heat up the pan.

Brush the top side of the tortilla with oil.

Flip the parathas over and place oiled side down in the pan.

Brush the wet side with oil and turn over again.

Serve hot tortillas with any dish instead of bread and garnish. There are many popular filling options: mashed potatoes with onions, peas, cauliflower and even cottage cheese. Only the principle of preparation remains unchanged.

Option 5: Indian Pumpkin Flatbreads

Everyone knows that you can cook porridge with pumpkin. But few people know that there is an interesting recipe for heat. This Indian name for baking is consonant with the Russian word for “warm”. These cookies taste just as good.

Ingredients:

  • 230 gr. pumpkins;
  • 175 gr. flour;
  • 30 gr. bran;
  • 2 tsp seasonings (turmeric; fennel and zira);
  • 30 ml of vegetable oil;
  • 0.5 tsp ginger;
  • 40 ml of water;
  • Salt.

Step-by-step instruction

Cut the skin off the pumpkin and remove the seeds.

Grate raw pumpkin pulp.

Mix together half the flour, salt, spices and water.

Add chopped pumpkin, vegetable oil and the rest of the flour to the dough.

Divide the dough into 9-10 balls.

Roll out each piece of dough into a patty.

Grease a dry frying pan with oil.

Lay the tortillas in a hot pan in turn. Fry quickly on both sides and stack.

Spread Indian cakes with pumpkin and spices with sour cream and sprinkle with grated cheese.


Option 6: Indian chickpea tortillas with peas and zucchini

This type of national pastry is called pudla. The dough consists of two types of flour: wheat and chickpeas. In the process of kneading, pieces of various vegetables, beans and herbs are added.

Ingredients:

  • 300 gr. chickpea flour;
  • 75 gr. wheat flour;
  • 450 ml of water;
  • baking powder;
  • 80 gr. tomato;
  • 120 gr. green peas;
  • 100 gr. zucchini;
  • 12 gr. garlic;
  • Cumin;
  • coriander;
  • salt;
  • 1 lime;
  • Oils for frying.

How to cook

Pour boiling water over tomatoes. After a couple of minutes, remove the thin peel from them. Cut the pulp.

Zucchini also needs to be peeled and then chopped.

Mix two types of flour with baking powder.

Add water to flour mixture.

Start kneading the dough. Gradually add vegetables and peas. Add seasonings, garlic and some herbs to taste.

Divide the thick dough into small pieces.

Roll out the cakes, they are similar in size to Russian pancakes.

Place a teaspoon of melted butter in a cast iron skillet.

Fry each poodle on both sides.

Put the cakes together and steam for five minutes. If the products are well fried, then the last tip is optional.

Serve with yogurt or sour cream.