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Chapati (roti)
चपाती (chapātī) / रोटी (roṭī)
Unleavened flatbread of wholemeal chapati flour, salt and water, rolled thin and cooked on a dry griddle until it bubbles and browns in spots. An everyday Indian bread; recipe by Manju Malhi for BBC Food.
- Servings
- 8
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 10 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
Equipment
- Deep bowl
- Rolling pin and board
- Tava (flat griddle) or heavy frying pan; tongs
Ingredients
Method
Set aside 200 g of the flour for shaping. Put the rest in a deep bowl with the salt.
Add the water a little at a time, kneading as you go, until you have a soft, elastic dough.
Why The longer you knead, the softer the chapatis (Malhi).
Dust the board with some of the reserved flour. Divide the dough into 8, shape into balls and flatten slightly. Roll each into a disc about 15 cm across, flouring as needed.
Heat a dry griddle or shallow pan. Cook a chapati for 20–30 seconds until the surface bubbles, then turn it with tongs and cook 10–15 seconds more, until brown spots appear underneath.
Why High heat and a short time keep the bread soft; long cooking dries it.
Timer · 1 min1:00Repeat with the rest, stacking them with kitchen paper between to absorb moisture. Spread with butter if you like.
To drink & serve with
- Aloo gobi
Malhi suggests spreading them with pickle or chutney and rolling them up.
Substitutions
- Chapati flour → Wholemeal plain flour (Malhi).
Common mistakes
- A stiff, under-kneaded dough: the chapatis are tough.
- A cool pan: they dry out before they colour.
Storage & reheating
Best cooked fresh. They can be reheated (Malhi); wrap in a cloth or foil and warm briefly in a dry pan.
Safety
Contains gluten (wheat); add milk to the allergens if buttered. Flour is a raw ingredient: do not eat raw dough.
Allergens
Gluten
Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.
Dietary
vegan · vegetarian · dairy-free
The everyday bread
The chapati needs no yeast and no oven: only wholemeal atta, salt and water, rolled thin and cooked in seconds on a hot griddle. Manju Malhi's recipe for BBC Food makes eight and uses a trick worth knowing: almost half the flour is kept back for dusting and rolling, so the dough itself stays soft.
