Indian Chapati (चपाती)
The daily bread for much of the Indian subcontinent - and simple to prepare at home. Let's master it once and for all.
‘Chapatis' are an integral part of desi cuisine, punctuating meal times and providing a useful utensil where cutlery isn’t the norm. The ‘chapati’ and ‘roti’ are very similar, sometimes used interchangeably, however there is a difference. Rotis are generally made with a white wheat flour - a plain flour - that’s rolled out and cooked on a hot plate. Simple. A chapati, however, has a touch more complexity to it. It’s made with a chapati flour, or ‘chapati atta’, which is simply a wholewheat flour. It’s a bit more finely ground than usual wholewheat flour you find at the supermarket though. A chapati can be made with part chapati flour and part white flour, and still be a chapati. I would argue if there’s no chapati flour in there, then you have a roti. In this recipe I’m going to show you how to master a perfect dough consistency for chapatis, how to roll them perfectly round, and how to get the classic balloon action when cooking them, which makes these flatbreads wonderful for tearing and filling. Let’s go!
