INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

BAKERS' DOZEN, ALFORD AND DUGUID, SHOW #BD1A27
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.
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.
Posted to fatfree digest V96 #300
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 96 11:44:17 EST
From: jayne@ejv.com (Jayne Spielman)

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