Bappi's Chapatis
Makes approximately 16 chapattis
Preparation Time: 15 minutes / Cooking Time: 30 minutes + chilling
My Mother’s mother (I call her ‘Bappi’) makes THE best chapatis! As my son loves them too, she has been making batches for me which I keep on hand in the freezer for a snack or to be eaten with meals. The Good Parsi Hubster is also a big fan, and her chapatis have now replaced toast with his eggs! Bappi has kindly given up her time to share her recipe and star in her first YouTube video, too!
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 460g plain/wholemeal flour (atta)
- Approximately 260ml hot water (this will vary on the type of flour you use)
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbls olive oil
- Extra flour for kneading and rolling
- Ghee or butter, for spreading on chapatti
Method
- Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Add half the hot water, then olive oil, and stir with a metal spoon. [NOTE – Depending on the type of flour you use, the exact amount of water will vary. Atta/wholemeal will use slightly more water than white flour.]
- Add the remaining hot water and mix with the spoon to bring the dough together.
- Knead the dough by hand in the bowl or on a clean, lightly floured surface until it forms a soft but non-sticky dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling wrap/put in a zip lock bag and leave to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. [Tip – Leaving the dough for a few hours will result in a better chapatti. You can also freeze the dough at this stage. Simply leave to defrost in the fridge the day before and continue on at step 6.]
- Take the dough out and if it feels too soft or sticky after resting, add a bit more flour and knead lightly to combine.
- Divide the dough into approximately 14 - 16 balls.
- Roll each ball on a generously floured surface with a rolling pin until 20-25cm in diameter. Repeat for all balls and stack them on top of each other, ensuring there is sufficient flour between to stop them sticking together.
- Heat a chapatti pan/non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat.
- Add a chapatti on to the pan for 10 to 12 seconds, then flip.
- Press down with a spatula or tissue to make the chapatti puff up.
- After 1-2 minutes or when nicely browned, flip the chapatti and continue to puff with spatula/tissue for further 1 minute.
- Spread a little ghee/butter on the hot chapatti, fold in half, remove from pan and stack on a plate.
Eat fresh, or let cool and store in freezer to defrost when required.
Enjoy!