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Chapati is a popular Indian flatbread that you have to try at least once in your life! Made with only three ingredients, this easy chapati recipe is thin, soft, and puffy. Perfect for scooping up delicious curries and stews or enjoying on its own!
Is there anything better than warm chapati bread straight out of the oven? Well, I don’t even need an oven to make this delicious Indian flatbread! All I need is a hot griddle or pan and a few simple ingredients to enjoy a fresh batch of chapati.
Want to try making more flatbreads at home? Check out my Naan recipe!
What Is Chapati
Chapati, sometimes called chapathi, phulka, or roti, is a staple food in India and many other South Asian countries. It is traditionally served with Indian recipes like curries, stews, chutneys, and stir-fries.
The term “chapati” comes from the Sanskrit word “carpatī” which means flat or thin cake. And it perfectly describes the appearance and texture of this delicious bread!
It is made by mixing three simple ingredients to form a dough: wheat flour, water, and salt. The dough is then rolled into thin circles and cooked on a hot griddle or skillet until it puffs up.
This easy and authentic chapati recipe is from my friend Reem. I have personally tried her homemade chapati and I was instantly hooked on how soft, fluffy, and delicious it was!
Learn more about the types of Indian flatbreads from the MICHELIN Guide.
Which Flour Is Best For Chapati
Traditionally, chapati is made with whole meal flour known as atta in Hindi. It is a finely ground whole wheat flour with a slightly nutty flavor commonly used in Indian cuisine.
What makes atta perfect for chapati is its gluten content, which gives elasticity to the dough. This property makes each piece easier to roll out thin and puff up when cooked.
The amount of damaged starch from the milling process also allows the flour to absorb more water. And that naturally results in a soft and pliable dough. However, if you don’t have access to atta, you can still make delicious chapatis with regular whole wheat flour.
What Goes Into Chapati
- Flour – the best flour for chapati is whole wheat flour or durum-wheat atta. It’s sometimes labeled as chakki atta. You might also see chapati flour at the grocery store, which is a combination of wheat flour and plain flour.
- Water – I like to use lukewarm water as it helps activate the gluten in the flour and makes it easier to roll out.
- Salt – just a teaspoon of salt is enough to enhance the flavors of your bread. It also helps strengthen gluten, which is what we want for this flatbread.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Chapati Bread
Sometimes compared to a tortilla for its thin, soft, and round shape, chapati is made from whole wheat flour instead of corn. The dough itself is simple, made from only three ingredients.
Making chapati from scratch is all about techniques. And even if it’s your first time making it, you will learn below the exact process and techniques I use in my recipe for a soft, light, airy, and puffy homemade chapati!
Here’s how to make chapati at home without oil:
Step 1: Sieve the flour, add salt, and mix well. Place the flour in a large bowl and add 3/4 cup of the water. Stir gently with fingers in a circular motion until the flour starts to gather.
Pro tip: Add 1-2 tablespoons more flour if the dough looks too sticky. Add more water if it looks too dry and firm.
Step 2: Knead the flour until it becomes soft and pliable and doesn’t stick to your fingers. You can put a little oil on your hand while kneading the dough to help with the kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature.
Pro tip: You may also store the dough in the refrigerator. Just thaw it to room temperature before using it.
Step 3: Once ready to make chapatis, heat the griddle over medium-high heat. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal-sized dough balls. Working on one dough ball at a time, roll it on the flour and flatten it a bit with your hands. Transfer the flattened ball to a clean flat surface, and roll it with a rolling pin into a 6-7 inch (15cm-17cm) disc.
Pro tip: If the dough sticks to the surface, dust the surface with more flour.
Step 4: Place the chapati on the hot griddle and cook for 30 seconds or until tiny golden dots appear on the surface. Flip over and cook the other side. Flip over again and soon it will start to puff up. Use a folded kitchen towel and press gently on the puffy chapati to push the air to the flattened part. The whole bread should puff up into a round ball.
Step 5: Transfer the cooked chapatis to a serving platter. You may baste it with a little butter or ghee. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- I adjust the consistency of the dough by adding more water or flour as needed. It shouldn’t be too dry or sticky.
- I make sure to knead the dough with enough moisture. Kneading dry dough can make it hard to roll out, and worse, it might turn tough after cooking.
- Before rolling, I check that the dough is soft and pliable. I poke it with my finger, and if it bounces back, I know it’s ready to go.
- Like other types of flatbread, I’m careful not to over-knead the dough since that can make the chapati dense, hard, and chewy.
- I always control the heat while cooking. If it’s too high, the chapatis brown too quickly and don’t get enough time to puff up. If it’s too low, they end up flat and tough.
- If my chapati doesn’t puff up like a ball, I don’t stress about it. It still tastes amazing! Getting perfectly puffy chapatis on a skillet takes a little practice, but I find it easier to achieve on direct flame.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a lot to be said about the art of making soft chapatis, but the secret is in the dough. Kneading it well and letting it rest enough helps to form the gluten, which makes it soft, pliable, and puffy.
Chapati and roti are both unleavened flatbreads popular in Indian cuisine. Most people consider them the same since they use similar ingredients, but some say that chapati is rolled slightly thinner than roti.
No, chapati is an unleavened flatbread, which means it does not contain baking soda or any other leavening agent. Its softness and puffiness come from steam created during cooking.
The dough should rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour. This step allows the gluten to relax, which will make the dough easier to roll out.
If your chapati becomes crispy, it has been probably cooked for too long or at too high of a heat. Make sure to cook it on medium to medium-high heat and only for about 30 seconds on each side.
One possible reason could be that the dough was not kneaded enough, which can result in too weak gluten strands. Another reason could be that the dough is too dry, causing it to not have enough moisture to puff up.
The most common reason for hard chapatis is that the dough has not been kneaded enough to develop the gluten. It’s also possible that the dough doesn’t have enough moisture to keep it from drying out.
This recipe has only 68 calories per serving (per piece).
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve chapati as is, with some butter (my favorite), some garlic and cheese, or even with Mango Chutney, Chicken Biryani, and Butter Chicken.
For a wholesome and easy Indian-inspired dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Indian Recipes You Might Like
Chapati (Indian Flat Bread) Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour , or drum-wheat “Atta”
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons wheat flour, for rolling and dusting
Instructions
- Sieve the flour, add salt, and mix well. Place the flour in a large bowl and add 3/4 cup of the water. Stir gently with fingers in a circular motion until the flour starts to gather. Add 1-2 tablespoons more flour if the dough looks too sticky. Add more water if it looks too dry and firm.
- Knead the flour until it becomes soft and pliable and doesn’t stick to your fingers. You can put a little oil on your hand while kneading the dough to help with the kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature. You may also store the dough in the refrigerator. Just thaw it to room temperature before using it.
- Once ready to make chapatis, heat the griddle over medium-high heat. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal-sized dough balls. Working on one dough ball at a time, roll it on the flour and flatten it a bit with your hands. Transfer the flattened ball to a clean flat surface, and roll it with a rolling pin into a 6-7 inch (15cm-17cm) disc. If the dough sticks to the surface, dust the surface with more flour.
- Place the chapati on the hot griddle and cook for 30 seconds or until tiny golden dots appear on the surface. Flip over and cook the other side. Flip over again and soon it will start to puff up. Use a folded kitchen towel and press gently on the puffy chapati to push the air to the flattened part. The whole bread should puff up into a round ball.
- Transfer the cooked chapatis to a serving platter. You may baste it with a little butter or ghee. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- I adjust the consistency of the dough by adding more water or flour as needed. It shouldn’t be too dry or sticky.
- I make sure to knead the dough with enough moisture. Kneading dry dough can make it hard to roll out, and worse, it might turn tough after cooking.
- Before rolling, I check that the dough is soft and pliable. I poke it with my finger, and if it bounces back, I know it’s ready to go.
- Like other types of flatbread, I’m careful not to over-knead the dough since that can make the chapati dense, hard, and chewy.
- I always control the heat while cooking. If it’s too high, the chapatis brown too quickly and don’t get enough time to puff up. If it’s too low, they end up flat and tough.
- If my chapati doesn’t puff up like a ball, I don’t stress about it. It still tastes amazing! Getting perfectly puffy chapatis on a skillet takes a little practice, but I find it easier to achieve on direct flame.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
To make 4 chappati how much cup of atta flour to use?
Most excellent.
1st try was a bit odd..
2nd one went like a balloon !
Ty. :D
:)
How long would these keep without refrigeration (like for taking camping)?
They keep for weeks.
Wheat flour is white flour. Whole meal flour is brown flour.
hi can you freeze the chapatti balls thanks
Yes.
Super recipe, well done.
Question; how thin should they be before cooking?
and can one add things such as garlic, onion powder or ground white pepper. Or is this a big no, no?
Regards, Fiona
Please don’t change the recipe. Check the video.
What type of pan do you fry then on? And do you use any oil to fry them? I’ve been making naan bread and I just can’t seem to find a pan that fries them beautifully without having to us a lot of oil. (I’m not using enough to consider it deep frying, but it still seems like to much.)
Non-stick.
Is wheat flour whole meal flour?
No.
Thank you for the recipe. For those who are complaining about grams vs cups measurements, it makes no difference what the size of the cups or weight because The recipe is as simple as it gets: 2 parts flour, 1 part water, 1 teaspoon salt, or obviously use salt to your liking. If you use big parts then you will get a lot of chappatis. If you use small parts then you will get fewer chappatis. Use your best judgment. The ratios are always the same.