If you live in East Africa, especially in countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya, Burundi, you are very familiar with the popular unleavened pan-grill bread – Chapati.
Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon ghee (Clarified butter) or oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl add flour and make a well then add sugar , salt
- Followed by water , ghee or oil
- Knead to form a soft and sticky dough.
- Place dough on a heavily floured board and knead for about 8-14 minutes. Continue to flour dough as needed to facilitate kneading . Be careful not to over do it. Dough should be soft , elastic and smooth.
- Divide dough into 6 or 8 pieces according to preference and let it rest .The resting of the dough helps to relax the gluten and make it not only easier to work with but also produces tender chapati.
- Using a rolling pin roll out dough into a circle. They do not have to be perfect circles.
- At this stage you may proceed to cooking . However, if you want chapatis with layers you have to do the next steps.
- Lightly oil chapati dough with ghee. Be gentle with the oil.
- Then place dough on a heavily floured plate , press the dough down.
- Turn dough over and press down – lightly shake off excess flour.
- Shape dough like you would shape a paper fan- Starting at one end, all the way to the opposite end.
- Then coil l it up- like in the picture.
- When all the dough has been coiled up , cover the dough with a damp cloth and let them rest for 20 minutes.
- Glently flatten out coiled dough and roll out . Begin rolling out the dough from the center working outwards.
- Rotate the dough out each time you roll it . This helps to make a perfect circle. Make sure they are not roll out to thin . Chapatis are not meant to be thin- 1/4 inch dough thickness is good.
- Oil pan. Then place dough on the pan. I used crepe pan to make this chapati- a skillet will work as well.
- Heavily oil the other side of the dough making sure you oil the edges too.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes rotating as need until golden brown.
19.Serve warm or cold.
