Indian Chapati Bread Recipe

I spent two years in Kenya, and my friend Julie made these for us. She was from Uganda. She rolled her dough balls into long ropes,rubbed them with oil and coiled them into rounds then rolled them out. They were crispy and light. If you let them rest they will raise when put in the skillet. Thanks for the memories!

I used Indian multigrain Atta, but followed it with half the salt and the long rest after mixing and before balling and shaping... and ended up cooking the first side a little, putting it onto the second side on the griddle, but when it started puffing, I put the breads onto an open flame and they toasted beautifully and puffed completely through! I put them into a towel, and they stayed soft and pliable all through a dinner of Chana Dal. It was *so* good.

Great base recipe. For softer chapati, I used hot almond milk instead of water (though any dairy or nut milk would work, too) and added a scant teaspoon of honey. Used equal amounts of olive and coconut oil for the fat. Time constraints dictate whether or not I let the dough rest overnight in the fridge before bringing it to room temp and rolling it out thinly between two sheets cut from the emptied bags of commercial breakfast cereal. Then I accordion-fold (pleat) the dough, coil it into a tight circle and roll it out again thinly before cooking it on a lightly oiled medium-hot heavy skillet. (This puts layers in the dough and helps it puff when cooking.) Covering the skillet while cooking keeps the steam in and helps them puff and cook more evenly. Once done I stack them on top of one another under a paper towel and a dome lid I have to keep the steam in while they cool. When kept in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days (if they last that long), they're easy to re-heat on a warm skillet or the low setting of a microwave. There's no limit to seasoning additions for customizing the taste outcome, too.

I let the dough balls rest for over 30 minutes as other reviewers suggested. I used a tortilla press, placing the the dough ball between plastic wrap. To make them even thinner I rolled over the dough discs with a rolling pin (while still between the plastic wrap). These were wafer thin, crispy and delicious. So easy!

A basic chapati -that I've used many times - works best with a type of flour called "Atta" which is a hard durum wheat flour available in international markets. Consider letting more than a few minutes - like an hour or more , I prefer to cover with plastic wrap and rest several hours in the fridge if not overnight then bring to room temp before forming and rolling - this allows for the glutens to develope you'll find the dough less sticky and more elastic. Cooking - I prefer to use a cast iron fryingpan or griddle because it retains a more even cooking temperature especially when using an electric stove. What makes a a chapati light and fluffy is the steam that is generated inside the chapati when cooking. after the bottom is lightly brown flip to brown the other side - you will note bubbles starting to form in the cooking chapati - on way to get these bubbles to form and expand between the outside layers is - after the bread is turned - press down on the browned topside with a dampened kitchen towel - you can even feel the bread rise up under the towel continue this all over until the bread is finally done will feel - I prefer to lightly brush one side with melted butter, stack and keep wrapped in a towel until the batch is done.

Wanted an unleavened bread we could adapt to gluten free because of my wife’s gluten intolerance, to use for communion for shelter at home Sunday church. Substituted approximately 2/3 parts Bobs Red Mill “1 for 1” flour blend and about 1/3 part coconut flour. Made a very yummy sweet coco nutty communion bread!

With very little practice, these turn out perfectly! I cook them on a cast iron skillet on a gas flame, and they're awesome. I found that it's easy to use too much oil in the pan, though, so when it says "grease lightly", it means VERY lightly, otherwise they come out too oily. But these are so quick and easy... I don't usually keep bread in the house because I don't eat it quickly enough of it before it goes bad, so this is the best way to have bread on hand when you need it. If you have 10-15 minutes to spare while dinner is cooking, you can have fresh chapati. Thanks for the great recipe!

I typically use a different chapati recipe but now this one is my favorite. The chapatis were soft and flexible and delicious. I used the ingredients in the amounts listed and then found I needed to continue to add extra flour to get to where the dough was not very sticky (just a little sticky). Before rolling I dusted the counter and both sides of the dough balls generously with flour. I rolled them out as thin as I could get them. I cooked them on a flat cast iron pan that I had oiled with canola oil, and had to apply more oil before each chapati. It will smoke the entire time; just keep your oven fan on. Sometimes less than 30 sec is needed, so watch your chapati especially on side 2.

For so few ingredients, this was definitely a surprise! The trick is to definitely roll out the balls as thin as you possibly can once you've let them rest for awhile or else the end product may be rubbery and too dough-y. I made mine on a cast-iron skillet with non-stick spray. I also added garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, basil, and curry.

I lived in Kenya for awhile and Chapati's were a main staple. I thought this recipe was great and very authentic with a few changes: -I just used all white flour because I didn't have wheat flour - I didn't let mine stand for very long - just let it relax for a few minutes while I stirred my curry, but definitely not 30 minutes like some reviews recommend - The big difference was rolling it out - traditional chapatis are chewy and oily. So divide your dough, and then each smaller ball of dough you want to roll out into a long tube. I put olive oil on my hands while rolling it into the tube to coat it on all sides. Then you coil that tube into a circle and roll that out with your rolling pin. You will have a very pliable dough when you're done and they will be softer and more chewy when cooked. And the hot pan is very important! It should be hotter than you think - my kitchen is usually a little smoky when I'm done cooking these. Good luck!

Dough turned great non- sticky and easy to work with. I added some kalonji and toasted sesame seeds. I love this recipe. I think I will use this dough to make samosas as well.

So easy and delicious

My first home bread in a pan. Thanks for sharing (^.^)

Absolutely delicious, no tweaks needed.

Just purchased an 'old-fashioned' tawa, (completely flat), and after seasoning it, this was the first thing I tried... Incredibly easy, and delicious! Onward to the onion paratha recipe... (Now, where did I put that aamchur?)

Easy peasy... inlike to make multiple batches and freeze them.

Good recipe. I will cut the salt in half next time.

This recipe was perfect! I was so impressed to be able to make those breads at home. I used a crepe pan, lighlty oiled.

I'm very impressed with this recipe. Instructions were easy to follow and the video was also great help . The chapati worked pretty much exactly as depicted. I used Spelt flour instead of half plain/half wholemeal.

Absolutely delicious my first time ever trying to make this and my husband and children were asking for more thank you for this easy recipe