chapati making failure

sunshaeen

you dont need to use any oil just warm water and flour- you need to roll them thinly and cook them directly on the flame once they have been on your griddle for approx one min each side (be careful)

Tiby

It normally helps to make the dough at least 20 mins before you want to make chappatis. I normally mix the flour and water to make a dough which is not very soft but not too crumbly either, moisten the surface with water again and leave it covered for 10-15 mins. After 15 mins you will need to knead it only a few times and you will find that the dough has got sort of elasticity to it and it is ready to be made into chappatis. Make 5 or 6 small dough balls at a time and roll them in plain flour/atta and then roll out chappatis one at a time, make sure that the pan is really hot before you start cooking the chapattis.

hennagirl

Hi been making chapattis or rotis since i was ten - 40 now!! Heres how I do them - use just flour and water (make sure you use chapatti flour - available at asian shops or ethnic aisle of supermarket). The key is not having the dough too hard - it must be pliable and be rolled easily into a ball shape. I use cold water for the dough and knead well until elastic. Keeping the dough aside for ten-fifteen mins helps too. Take a slightly larger than golf ball size of dough and roll into a ball shape. Dip in flour and start to roll out. Dip in flour again if need be to stop sticking. Again you will know this by trial and error but another thing to do to stop the roti drying out or being crispy is to make sure you roll out to the right thicknes - not as thin as a papadom but slightly thinner than a wrap. As you are rolling turn the roti around to get as much a uniform shape as possible. Heat up the pan dry on a medium/high heat. Too hot or cold makes the roti dry. Cook first side of roti until you see the colour change, turn over and cook second side for the same amount of time as first side. Now the next bit makes all the difference in having a puffy roti - gas is the best - put the roti directly on the naked flame and it will puff up like a ballooon - use tong as the steam is VERY hot. Turn the roti around on same side to cook evenly and then turn over and do the other side. If you do not have a gas cooker, once you have cooked both sides in the pan, use a folded teatowel to gently press down the roti in the pan to brown it off on both sides. This method does not give as puffy a roti but still produces good results.

Don't worry if you do not get the right results - this is one thing that does involve a lot of trail and error and practice - we have all been there - my first attempts were like crispy maps of Africa!! Once you do get the hang of it, it does become second nature and doesn't seem so difficult. It also forms the basis of other indian breads such as puri and parathas. Hope this helps .

Liverpudlian

My tip would be to let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes, and rolling them out as evenly as possible. I have also found that using warm water for kneading the dough makes it softer! Otherwise hennagirl is spot on.