Indian Flatbreads: Roti or Phulka
Almost every culture has a flatbread as a staple of the diet. Whether it is called tortilla, roti, lavash, pita or naan they all share similar characteristics, but in execution they are as varied as the cuisines they represent.
Within the Indian cuisine tradition there are many variations of flatbread. This will be a recipe for roti, an unleavened flat bread which is made in almost every part of India.
Ingredients
3 cups wheat flour (all purpose, whole wheat or a blend of ½ whole wheat and ½ all-purpose can be used)
1 to 1 1/4 cups water or more if needed
1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 to 2 tsp oil or ghee (Ghee is available at many ethic grocery stores and is nearly identical to clarified butter.)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, about half of the water, the salt and oil. Work the mixture into a soft dough.
2. Lightly dust a kneading place and begin needing the dough, for 5-10 minutes. Add water or flour to the dough in small increments if needed to develop a soft, silky dough. Shape into a ball.
3. Let the dough rest on the counter top for 20 to 30 minutes. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap to prevent from forming a crust on the dough ball.
4. While the dough is resting, get your griddle ready. I use a cast iron grill on a gas stove, but an electric grill will work as well. I heat the griddle for about 10 minutes on medium high, and then adjust the heat so that a drop of water “dances” off the surface before evaporating. This is probably around 375 to 400°F, but I have never gotten out my infrared thermometer to find out.
5. After resting, knead the dough a couple of time to relax it slightly, divide it into six to twelve equal sized portions. I make them smaller because my griddle pan and tortilla holder are small.
6. With your hands, flatten a ball into a disk, and the set on a floured surface and roll thin with a standard rolling pin. Roti can be made thick and soft, or thin and crisp. I tend to like the thin and crisp versions best. (It is authentic to do the flattening with only the hands and tossing in the air like a pizza dough, but I have not mastered that process yet. I tend to throw flour around the kitchen and generally make a mess.)
7. Put on the griddle and cook on the first side until you see blisters form. This usually takes 2-3 minutes for me. Flip and cook on the other side for an additional 1-3 minutes. The blisters will brown or char – that is a good thing.
8. Put the cooked roti in a bread basket or tortilla warmer and repeat until all the roti have been cooked. I usually roll and cook at the same time. When things are going well, I can get to a Zen state and cook and roll like a Jedi master (how is that for a mixed metaphor?)
Variations
Melt butter (or use ghee if you have it). Add finely chopped or grated garlic and finely chopped cilantro leaves to the butter. Brush on one side of each flatbread. Attempt to leave at least one roti to eat with the meal!
In a spice grinder, grind three or four peppercorns, two or three coriander seeds and the seeds from one or two pods worth of cardamom (remove the husk, please – not good eats in this application). Mix into the flour in step one and complete the recipe. Makes for a very spicy bread, I think it is good to serve with milder dishes like tandoori chicken.