Basic Rotis Or Chappatis Recipes

CHAPPATIS (ROTI)

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in a bowl.
• Add water a cup at a time, kneading.
• When kneading, make your hand into a fist and roll your knuckles into the dough, folding edges in continuously, working in all the flour.
• When all the flour is kneaded into a ball, poke lots of holes into the ball of dough.
• Pour a little oil into the dough and knead it inches.
• Add the rest of the oil (the dough will look very oily and that's the way it should be).
• Cover with a clean cloth and let sit for at least an hour.
• Roll the ball in a little bit of flour so it's not sticky.
• Divide the dough into about 15-20 balls depending on how big you want the chappatis to be.
• Flour the counter/board.
• Roll out each ball to about 6 inches in diameter.
• Brush with melted butter.
• Fold in three (like you fold a letter).
• Now it should almost look like a long tube.
• Take one end of that tube and fold it in to the centre and gently press it inches.
• Take the other end of the tube and fold it over the seam.
• Now you should have a little bundle of dough.
• (In other words, fold the dough into thirds one way, and then the other).
• Flour a plate and place the bundles on them.
• Roll each one out to about 6-8 inch diamete, flouring counter/board as needed.
• On a flat cast iron disc (available at Indian grocery stores) or on a big frying pan (cast iron is best), heat pan, and put chappati on it.
• When it starts looking a bit translucent, flip it over.
• Brush with melted butter, shuffling it around the pan quickly, then a quick flip over, a bit of melted butter (it should start puffing up into a pillow like shape).
• Once it has small golden brown dots on both sides, take it off an put into a serving dish (cover with a clean cloth as you keep preparing the rest).
• You will have to adjust the heat during the whole frying process.
• Clean off the pan with paper towels or a clean cloth in between frying each chappati.
• Don't turn the chappatis too much, just once or twice is enough.

BASIC ROTIS OR CHAPPATIS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add the flour, making a small depression in the centre.
• Pour 1/4 cup water into the flour and start mixing with the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Add remaining water as required, until the flour comes together to form a dough.
• If the mixture is too dry and falls apart, add some more water; if it is too sticky and sticks to your fingers, dust it with some more flour.
• Now knead the dough well for about 5 to 10 minutes; the more you knead it, the softer your rotis will be.
• Cover and keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat a heavy skillet on a low flame.
• Meanwhile, divide the dough into 6 lemon-sized balls and roll into 7-inch circles on a generously floured board using a rolling pin, adding sprinklings of flour to keep the roti from sticking to the rolling pin.
• Once the skillet is sufficiently hot, place one roti on it and increase the flame to medium-high.
• After about 20 seconds, turn the roti and cook on the other side.
• When small-medium bubbles start to appear on the surface of the roti (about 1 minute), remove it from the skillet, remove the skillet from the flame and turn the roti over directly on the flame.
• It should puff up completely; you might need some practice with it.
• Once it puffs up, remove it from the flame and serve hot with any vegetable side!
• Oh, and repeat the cooking procedure for all 6 balls.

QUICK BASIC CHAPATIS/ROTIS

Steps:

• Heat iron skillet or no-stick skillet on medium flame.
• Sift flour and salt into bowl. (If no sifter, fluff with fork.).
• With a wooden spoon, stir in oil, if using, and 1/4 C water, continue to slowly add water until enough water to form a ball.****.
• Turn onto floured surface. Knead for 20 strokes or until dough is elastic. Use only enough flour to keep dough from sticking.
• Divide dough into 4 golf-ball sized balls.
• Roll each in flour.
• With a rolling pin, roll out one ball into about an 8" thin circle. Keep a pile of flour beside you and dust the dough often but only enough to keep it from sticking.
• When skillet is hot enough to immediately sizzle dry a drop of water, put chapati on.
• When bubbles form on top of chapati (1-3 minutes), look at bottom. If it has a few brown spots, flip it over.
• The second side takes much less time, and when it has a few brown spots, remove the pan from the fire and toss chapati directly on the burner (With a gas stove--leave roti in pan and pan on burner, use spatula to massage roti and it will puff up -- Manjula shows how on YouTube). In a few seconds, it will puff up like a balloon. If it doesn't, the dough was not kneaded/rested long enough or there was too much flour worked inches.
• Remove from heat to plate. (Some people slap the air out first.).
• Brush with oil, if desired, to keep soft.
• Cover with towel to keep warm.
• Repeat with next ball. The second and later chapatis always seem to cook faster than the first.
• Serve warm.
• By your third batch, you'll be fast enough to roll out the next one while one is cooking!
• *chapati flour available at Indian food markets, chapati flour does not need to rest to come out properly, other flours do need to rest.
• **chapati flour substitute: 1/2 C whole wheat plus 1/2 C enriched white flour or 3/4 C, 1/4 C respectively (my favorite). Or 1 C all purpose white flour. If using this, after kneading, lest rest for 30 minutes in a warm place--or up to an hour if in cool place, until when you press your finger into it, it feels elasticky and springs back a little. Refrigerate now or continue with dividing into balls, etc.
• ***you can also make it up as much as 5 days ahead of time and store refrigerated in a ball wrapped in plastic. It's best to remove it from the fridge an hour or 2 before using, but if not, it'll just be a little more difficult to roll out.
• ****For flatbread beginners: If you get too much water, just add some flour. If you're new to this, as soon as all the flour is gathered in little balls go ahead and put it on a pile of flour on your work surface and if necessary work water into it a little at a time. It will not hurt the dough no matter how much you work with it -- it will only make it better because it activates the gluten which is what makes the layers you should see after cooking the chapati if you tear it apart -- if you do not see these after cooking, the dough was not worked long enough. Other than burning them, these are foolproof enough to always be edible!

CHAPATI (ROTI)

Steps:

• Put the flour in a bowl. Gradually add enough water to make a soft dough (about 7 fl oz of water).
• Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside for half an hour to rest. If the dough is runny, flour your hands and knead for a few more minutes.
• Form ten equal balls and dust each with flour. Heat up a cast-iron griddle or frying pan over a low flame on a medium heat.
• Take one of the balls of dough, flatten it between the palms of the hands, and dust it with flour on both sides.
• Roll out to a 5 1/2" round, and slap the roti onto the heated. surface. Cook for about a minute, or until soft bubbles begin to form, then turn over and cook for half a minute on the second side. If you have a gas cooker, then use tongs to hold the roti in a second flame for 3 seconds on each side. The roti should puff up.
• Alternatively if you have an electric stove, put the roti under a hot grill for a few seconds until it puffs up.