Whole Wheat Chapati

Name: Whole Wheat Chapati
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 cup lukewarm water; 2 cups whole wheat flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 2 tablespoons oil (olive oil and vegetable oil both work fine)

2 Ratings

4 Comments

Prep 5 min
Total 45 min
Servings 6

Yummy, non-yeasted, healthy Indian flatbread. From Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day. MORE+ LESS-

By Girl Versus Dough

Updated January 13, 2015

Ingredients

cup lukewarm water

cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2

teaspoons salt

tablespoons oil (olive oil and vegetable oil both work fine)

Steps

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1

Mix together the flour, salt, oil and water in a large bowl. The dough can be used right away, but is handled best when refrigerated or sitting for at least half an hour. You can also refrigerate the dough in a lidded container and use over the next 5 days.
2

When ready to make chapati, preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until water droplets sizzle and skitter off the surface. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.
3

On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each piece into a thin circle about 1/16-inch thick.
4

Cook each piece in cast-iron skillet on each side for about a minute, then lay directly over the flame of a burner on medium-high heat, using a pair of metal tongs to hold in place (I skipped this step because I have an electric stove, leaving me with softer, more supple, but equally delicious flatbreads).
5

Turn the dough with the tongs until the dough is puffy; remove from heat. Repeat with remaining dough.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

The holidays are over.

You’ve stuffed yourself full of champagne, cookies and canapés. The last thing you want to do is make (and eat) something complicated and overly decadent.

That’s where this delicious Whole Wheat Chapati comes in handy.

You heard me right – chapati. As in, delicious, non-yeasted Indian flatbread that is made with less ingredients than macaroni and cheese and in less time than it takes you to watch an episode of “Mad Men” on Netflix. And the best part is (besides its tastiness, of course), it’s easy enough to make at any level of post-New Year’s stupor.

I first heard of chapati from the husband upon his return from a trip to India. Apparently it’s all the rage there – and after trying it myself, I’m not surprised. Even though it’s made with whole wheat flour, it doesn’t have that “healthy” taste, and it’s designed for (and delicious with) scooping up curries and rice. We enjoyed it with a tofu tikka masala and brown rice, but you can make it alongside any Indian dish – or even non-Indian dish.

There are two ways to approach the actual creation of this bread once you’ve cooked it on the stovetop for a minute or two:

1) Lay the bread directly over the flame of a burner on medium-high heat, using a pair of metal tongs to hold in place. Or…

2) Don’t.

See? It’s not rocket science, people. But if you choose the latter (as I did, because I have an electric stove), you’ll be left with softer, more supple flatbreads that actually work perfectly for pita sandwiches. Either way you make chapati, it’s a great recipe to kick off the New Year right.

Stephanie (aka Girl Versus Dough) joined Tablespoon to share her adventures in the kitchen. Check out Stephanie’s Tablespoon member profile and keep checking back for her own personal recipes on Tablespoon!