Chapatis

Ingredients

• 300 g chapati flour (atta)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• about 200 ml warm water

Method

1. Make a soft dough

   Mix the flour and salt, add the oil, then the water gradually until you have a dough noticeably softer than bread dough — almost sticky. A firm chapati dough gives a stiff, leathery bread.

2. Knead and rest

   Knead for five minutes until smooth, then cover and rest for 20 minutes. The rest lets the bran soften and the gluten relax, which is what makes it roll thin without springing back.

   20 min

3. Roll

   Divide into eight, roll each into a thin round, flouring lightly. Turn the disc a quarter after every roll so it stays circular rather than oval.

4. Cook on a hot dry pan

   Cook each on a very hot dry pan for about 30 seconds, until pale bubbles appear, then flip and cook until brown spots form.

   2 min

5. Puff it

   Press the edges gently with a folded cloth, or hold it briefly over a live flame, and it will balloon. That puff is steam splitting the bread into two layers, and it is what makes a chapati soft rather than dense.

   0 min

6. Stack

   Stack the cooked chapatis in a cloth as you go so they stay pliable, and eat them the same day.