Chapati
Serves 8 Time 45–60 minutes Difficulty 3/5 Ingredients 4 Steps 7
The chapati, also known as a roti, is the staple flat bread of Northern India and Pakistan. It can be made from many types of grain, but is most commonly made with finely-ground whole wheat flour. Sometimes it is cooked in a little oil.
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
- Warm water as required (about 1 ½ cups)
- Ghee (clarified butter; optional)
Steps
- Knead flour and water, starting with a slight dribble of water and adding more until dough is smooth but not too sticky.
- Cover dough. Rest at least 5 minutes.
- Divide dough into balls. Roll into disks slightly thicker than denim, sprinkling with flour.
- Heat non-oiled pan over moderately high heat. Test temperature by holding hand over it.
- When very hot, place chapati on pan. Press flat with spatula or dry cloth to make it rise.
- Flip. Repeat until lightly browned on both sides.
- Brush with ghee if desired.
Notes from the original
- Regional variations abound in the detail of preparing and cooking roti. In most Indian cooking, for example, the roti is finished by toasting it in the open flame of the cooker. The aim of this process is to encourage the roti to puff up. The hot air which builds inside because the water inside the roti begins to turn into steam and cooks the roti inside out. This may also be achieved under a grill, or by using a microwave (try 30 seconds on high power). Universally, however, the aim in rolling is to get the roti to a perfectly round shape (for aesthetics) and to create uniform thickness, which is vital for successful cooking.
- There are Caribbean-specific variations of roti, one of which uses boiled and ground yellow split peas in its preparation.
- Chapatis are usually eaten with cooked dal (lentil soup) or vegetable dishes like Indian curry. Pieces of the chapati are used to wrap and lift bites of the other dishes.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Chapati” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-04-16, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Baking Chapatis.jpg by Claude Renault, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.