Chapati
Instructions:
- Indian-Style Flatbread -True chapati are made with a finely ground whole wheat
flour (called atta or chapati flour) and then twice-cooked
quickly—first on a dry griddle and then over an open
flame—so that the dough traps steam and puffs up dramatically.
If you have a gas stove or are able to combine
the main recipe with the grilled variation, you can duplicate
this technique with just a little extra work by doing
the second cooking on an open flame. But fortunately,
the straight recipe here still makes a bread that is unbelievably
simple, nutritious, and delicious.
You can mix the dough in advance, but chapati must
be eaten immediately after a batch is cooked. Line a
basket or plate with a cloth napkin before starting, and
as the chapati come off the griddle, pile them up and
wrap loosely. This will keep them warm while you cook
the rest.
Eat chapati with any food, Indian or not. They’re best
with stews and soups, especially bean dishes and their
traditional accompaniment, Simplest Dal .
- 21/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water, plus more as needed
- Set a fine-mesh strainer or a flour sifter over the bowl of the food processor, add the flours, and sift. Discard the coarse bran or save for another use.
- Add the salt to the flour mixture and, with the machine running, pour in the cup of warm water. Process for about 30 seconds; then remove the cover. The dough should be in a well-defined, barely sticky, easy-to-handle ball. If it is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 or 10 seconds after each addition.
- If it is too wet, which is unlikely, add a tablespoon or two of flour and process briefly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. (At this point, you may wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate it for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
- Divide the dough into 8 to 12 pieces. Using flour as necessary, pat or roll each piece into a 4-inch disk.
- Dust lightly with flour to keep them from sticking and cover them with plastic or a damp cloth while you roll out the others and set aside until you finish all the pieces. (It’s okay to overlap them a bit, but don’t stack them.)
- Put a griddle or cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, roll out a disk until it’s fairly thin, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting as necessary with flour; the shape doesn’t matter (as long as it fits on the griddle or pan). Pat off the excess flour and put the chapati on the griddle or pan, count to 15 or so, then use a spatula to flip and cook the other side until it starts to blister, char, and puff up a bit, about a minute or so. (Use this time to finish rolling out the next disk.) Turn and cook the first side again, until dark and toasty smelling.
- Transfer to the prepared bread basket (see the headnote) and repeat until all are cooked. Serve immediately.
- Grilled Chapati.
- Rustic, smoky, and puffy. Perfect for when you’ve already got a fire going and have some room on the grill: Heat a charcoal or gas grill until moderately hot and put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Oil the grates well. If you have the space, take the disks outside to your grill for the final rolling. If not, roll all the chapati out, flour them well, and stack between layers of wax or parchment paper. Cook, several at a time, as described in Step 4, only directly on the grill grates instead of the griddle.