Indian Flatbreads Recipes

ROTI RECIPE (BUTTERY INDIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Make the dough. In a large bowl or stand mixer, use a fork to whisk together 2 cups bread flour and 1 teaspoon salt. (I prefer kosher salt, but table salt is fine.)
• Add 2 tablespoons melted butter* and mix it in with the fork until the flour is crumbly. Make sure to break up any big chunks.
• Add 2/3 cup warm water. Mix it together with the fork until the dough pulls together. At this point, I start using the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer, but you can also turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape down any dough that sticks to the side, but it should form itself into a ball pretty quickly.
• Rest the dough. When you are done kneading, shape it into a ball. Leave it in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 20-45 minutes. The longer you rest the dough, the softer and more pliable your roti will be, and the easier it will be to roll out. (It will not rise at all, so don't expect it to look different after the rest period. This ain't no yeast recipe.)
• Roll out the dough. Prepare a work surface with a light dusting of flour. Divide dough into six equal parts. Use your fingers to pinch each piece into a smooth ball. (see photos)Take one ball and pat it into a disk with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough circle about 8-9 inches across. It should be rolled out very thin, see photos. (If you want to roll all the dough out at once before frying, stack the sheets, each one separated with a square of parchment paper so they don't stick together. I prefer to roll out my next piece of dough while I'm frying the first one, so I don't do this.)
• Cook the Roti. Set a cast iron skillet, griddle, or large frying pan over medium or medium high heat. Let it preheat for at least a couple minutes so that it's very hot.Add about a teaspoon of butter to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.
• Transfer the very thin sheet of roti dough to the pan. Wait about 6 or 7 seconds, then use your fingers or a spatula to flip the roti over. You may need to add more butter; if there is not enough, the roti will not be soft. It will cook in 30 to 50 seconds. Adjust the heat as necessary so that the roti cooks quickly (under a minute) but does not burn. Every stove is different so you will have to play around. You will know it is done when light brown spots appear on the side that is cooking. The top should have a few bubbles. Flip the roti back to the original side (using more butter if necessary) just until the brown spots appear, another 20-30 seconds.
• Steam the Roti. This step is super important to get soft and pliable roti! Place a paper towel inside a large ziplock bag. When the roti is done frying, place roti on top of the paper towel in the bag. Top the roti with another paper towel (it should not be touching the plastic or it will get soggy.) Seal the bag. As you fry the remaining roti, add them to the ziplock directly on top of the first roti, with a paper towel on top. The roti will steam each other in the center. Keep the bag closed as much as possible. You can also skip these steps and steam roti in a tortilla warmer.
• Serve the roti hot, with curry and rice.
• Store leftover roti in a ziplock bag lined with paper towels.
• Freezing Roti: Layer your roti between sheets of parchment paper so they don't stick to each other, and seal in a ziplock bag. Store flat in the freezer.To reheat, you can either let thaw in the bag at room temperature, then reheat gently in the microwave (don't overdo it or they will get tough.) Or you can re-grill the roti straight from frozen, using the same method as the first time.

INDIAN FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Stir all the ingredients together making sure that the baking powder is well distributed throughout the flour.
• Pour the flour mixture into your mixing bowl and slowly add milk to the flour and melted butter, while kneading the dough.
• You should end up with stiff workable dough that is not sticky. If you end up with wet sticky dough you need to add more flour. If the dough will not hold together then you need more milk.
• If you have never made dough before you may find the process of kneading a little daunting. I would suggest trying this at home a few times until you get the hang of it.
• I have improved upon the recipe as follows: After the dough is ready flatten into rectangular shape and sprinkle some garlic powder and aprox 3 teaspoons herbs de province then rework the dough to incorporate the herbs and spice to the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest 8 hours or overnight. (Hint the longer the dough rest the more the herbs and spice infuse the dough with flavor.).
• Now that your dough is made you're ready to fry some Indian flat bread.
• Take your dough and divide it into small balls. The size of the balls is up to you.
• Next take the balls and flatten them out into patties. Try to flatten them so that they are about 1/8 inch thick or like a thick tortilla. This will make the bread cook fast and evenly.
• Heat up some oil in a frying pan and cook them for a few minutes on each side until they turn golden brown and puff up like pancakes.
• Don't try to fry bread with margarine or butter because it will burn in the frying pan.
• I top it with butter while still hot, right out of the pan and sprinkle a little kosher salt and garlic powder on top and eat. As Rachael Ray would say, Yummo!

FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Mix the flour, salt, yeast and oil in a large bowl and add enough water to make a soft, but not sloppy, dough. Knead well. Put into a lightly oiled bowl to rise for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces, about 250g each, and use a rolling pin to flatten each one into a circle, 15cm in diameter, about 1cm thick. Then leave the pieces on a lightly floured baking tray to prove for 5 mins. Heat a large frying pan to a medium heat and dry-fry each piece until browned on both sides, about 5 mins in total. Set aside to cool slightly before serving.

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.

INDIAN FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients together. Add 8 ounces of the warm water and mix just until blended. Add the remaining water, a little at a time, until a soft, but not sticky, dough develops. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Tear into 2-ounce balls and roll out flat to about 10 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Heat the corn oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Gently place the pieces of dough in the corn oil and cook on each side until golden brown.
• When done, carefully remove the flat breads from the oil and drain on absorbent paper towels.

INDIAN FLATBREADS

Steps:

• Combine the flours and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center, add 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix to make a sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and pliable, about 5 minutes. Brush a bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover and let rest about 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 even balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into an 8-to-9-inch round, then layer between parchment paper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. One at a time, lightly brush each dough round with oil and place in the pan. Cook until bubbly on top and charred on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook 1 more minute. Remove from the skillet, brush with more oil and season with salt. To reheat, wrap the flatbreads in a damp paper towel and microwave 45 seconds.