Chapatis

 
                                  CHAPATIS
 
 Recipe By     : BAKERS' DOZEN (ALFORD AND DUGUID) SHOW #BD1A27
 Serving Size  : 8    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Breads
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    2      cups          Atta flour (or whole wheat -- sifted)
    1      teaspoon      salt
                         Approximately 1 cup warm water
 
 You will need a medium-sized bowl, a rolling pin, a castiron griddle or
 heavy skillet, and a small
 cotton cloth or a paper towel.
 In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the salt and the flour. Make a well
 in
 the middle and add
 just less than 1 cup warm water. Mix with your hand or with a spoon until
 you can gather it
 together into a dough (depending on the condition of your flour, you may
 need a little extra water
 or a little extra flour to make a kneadable dough). Turn out onto a
 lightly
 floured bread board and
 knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth or a plastic wrap and
 let
 stand for 30 minutes
 or for up to 2 hours. The longer the dough stands, the more digestible
 the
 breads.
 Divide the dough into 8 pieces and flatten each with lightly floured
 fingers. Continue flattening
 with a rolling pin until each piece is 8 inches in diameter. Once you
 have
 started rolling, roll out
 each bread without flipping it over. To keep the bread from sticking to
 your
 bread board, make
 sure that the bread is lightly floured underneath. Cover the breads with
 the
 damp towel or plastic
 wrap as you roll out others (make sure not to stack the rolled out
 breads;
 if you don't have
 enough counter space for the breads, roll out just a few and begin
 cooking,
 rolling out the others
 as the breads cook).
 Heat a cast iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. When the
 griddle
 is hot, place a
 chapati on the griddle, top side of the bread down first. Let cook for
 only
 10 seconds and then
 gently flip to the second side. Cook on the second side until small
 bubbles
 begin to form,
 approximately one minute. Turn the chapati back to the first side and
 finish
 cooking (another
 minute approximately). At this stage, a perfect chapati will start to
 balloon. This process can be
 helped along by gently pressing on the bread. The bread is hot, so we
 find
 the easiest method is
 to use a small cotton cloth or a paper towel wadded up to protect your
 finger tips. Gently press
 down on a large bubble forcing the bubble to extend itself wider. If the
 bread starts to burn on the
 bottom before it has ballooned, move the bread (with the help of your
 paper
 towel) across the
 skillet, dislodging it from the point at which it is beginning to burn.
 When you are satisfied with your chapati, remove it and wrap in a clean
 towel. Continue to cook
 the other breads, stacking each as it is finished on top of the others.
 Yield: 8 chapatis, 7 to 8 inches across, thin and supple.
 
 
 
 
                    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
 NOTES : Making chapatis can be a very relaxing thing to do. In quite a
 short time you can
 produce eight or ten breads, each one turning out a little bit different
 from the others, but all of
 them attractive, nutritious, and good. We've grown so accustomed to
 making
 chapatis that they
 now feel almost like a convenience food, a household staple of the best
 kind.