Saturday Share Recipe: Chapati

Do you like flatbread? My family does. I make chapati fresh and serve it hot and delicious. 

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread that originated in the Indian subcontinent, and it's a great accompaniment to many different flavor profiles, not just Indian food.

Today, I'm using it for tacos rather than flour tortillas.

Yesterday, Darling Hubby made a pot of chili. He threw in a little of this, a little of that, some red wine that was left in a bottle we hadn't finished.

He put in everything that goes in chili: peppers, tomato sauce, ground beef, onions, and the wine. In case you're wondering, no beans.

Real chili doesn't have beans. If you like beans, go ahead and add them, but call it chili stew, not chili.

Of course, there's a lot of the thick kicked-up chili left so I'm using it for tacos for lunch.

Chapati Recipe

This recipe makes 10 chapati.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup hot water or as much as is needed

If you don't have any whole wheat flour, use 2 cups of AP flour. I use organic unbleached white baking flour. It comes in a 10 pound size. You can find it at Amazon, Whole Foods, and Costco. You can use another brand like King Arthur's which is at most Walmarts, Krogers, etc. 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flours and the salt.

2. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and "satiny" looking in appearance.

4. Divide the dough into 10 equal parts, or fewer than 10 if you want bigger chapati.

5. Roll each piece into a ball and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.
6. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Grease very lightly.

7. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla.

8. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it.

9. Cook until the underside has brown spots which takes about 30 seconds. Flip over and cook the other side.

10. Stack the cooked chipati on an oven-proof plate and keep in the oven on low, about 200 degrees F. to keep them warm.

11. Follow the same procedure until all the dough balls have been flattened and baked on the hot skillet.

Serve hot.

Takeaway Truth

You'll be surprised how delicious these are and how easy they are to make.