– 2 ¼ cups chapati flour
– ½ tsp salt (be sure to add before water)
– 2/3 cup warm water
– chapati flour for dusting
– olive oil with your favorite herbed spices
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the water and stir in with a wooden spoon (the amount of water may vary depending on the flour). After the flour has absorbed the water, knead the dough on clean work surface adding flour if necessary. When the dough is soft but does not stick, roll into a ball and cover with an inverted bowl or moist towel. For best results, let the dough rest for at least ½ hour. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, but let it come down to room temperature before you start to roll out the breads.
Set a griddle or frying pan over moderately low heat to preheat for 3 to 5 minutes. Flatten a ball of dough into a 2 inch patty and dip both sides in the dusting flour. Roll it out as evenly as you can into a thin round about 6 inches in diameter, dipping it in the dusting flour from time to time, just enough to keep it from sticking to the work surface (too much flour will make the chapati brittle). Roll with even, gentle pressure, easing the dough into a round rather than stretching it.
When the griddle is hot, pick up the chapati and slap it back and forth between your palms to shake off excess flour. Half-slap, half-slip the bread onto the griddle. It should lie flat, without any wrinkles. If there are wrinkles, do not try to press them out, as the bread would stick and burn. Wait until the bottom firms up, then shake the griddle to try to ease out the wrinkles. Cook for about 1 minute on the first side. (If you are using electric heat to balloon the bread, preheat a back burner on high.) When the top of the chapati lightens in color, small bubbles begin to form, and the bottom has small brownish spots, turn the chapati over with your fingertips or a spatula and cook on the second side for about half a minute. Take the griddle off the heat to keep it from overheating. Place the chapati over the high heat burner with a small cake rack, unserrated tongs, or a homemade coat hanger rack. In seconds the chapati will swell, fill with steam and puff into a balloon. Continue to cook, tuning it once, until it has charcoal-black flecks. Ballooning the bread takes only 10 to 15 seconds. (If you hold the bread over the heat too long, its surface tends to burn or become brittle.)
Slip the finished bread into a basket and cover. Set the griddle back over moderately low heat and repeat the process. Brush one side with herbed olive oil before serving.
Your first few batches of chapattis may be unevenly rolled out, and only a few may balloon, but with practice you will master the procedure. Do not lose heart; your chapattis will be delicious no matter what their shape.
* Recipe taken from “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking”, by Yamuna Devi
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