This recipe creates a classic, flaky Indian flatbread. The dough is enriched with ghee and cooked on a griddle, where it is basted to become crisp and layered.
Yields: 10 parathas Preparation time: 5–15 minutes Dough resting time: 0.5 – 3 hours Cooking time: 35–45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Dough:
• 2.33 cups (10.76 oz / 305 g) sieved chapati flour
o Alternatively: 1.33 cups (5.82 oz / 165 g) whole wheat flour mixed with 1 cup (4.23 oz / 120 g) unbleached white flour
• 0.75 teaspoon (3.5 ml) salt
• 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz / 30 ml) melted butter, ghee, or oil
• 0.67 cup (5.4 fl oz / 160 ml) warm water (about 100°F / 38°C), or as needed
For Cooking:
• About 0.5 cup (4 fl oz / 120 ml) melted ghee or vegetable oil
• Chapati or sieved wheat flour for dusting
Instructions
1. Make the Dough
• In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Drizzle in the 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of melted butter, ghee, or oil. Rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture has the consistency of coarse oatmeal.
• Add the warm water, pouring quickly at first to moisten the flour, then more slowly in dribbles, until it forms a medium-stiff dough. The amount of water may vary.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is silky smooth and pliable.
• Shape the dough into a ball, rub it with ghee or oil, cover it with an inverted bowl, and let it rest for 0.5 to 3 hours. (If resting longer, you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before rolling.)
2. Divide the Dough
• Gather your items for rolling: a rolling pin, dusting flour in a shallow dish, a basket lined with clean tea towels, and your bowl of melted ghee for cooking.
• Knead the dough briefly and divide it into 10 equal portions. Roll them into smooth balls, place them on a plate without letting them touch, and cover them with a damp cloth.
3. Roll and Fold the Parathas
• Flatten one dough ball into a 2-inch (5 cm) patty and dip both sides in dusting flour.
• Roll it out evenly into a thin round, about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter, dipping in dusting flour as needed to prevent sticking.
• Brush the top of the round with ghee or oil. Fold it in half.
• Brush the top of the new half-circle with ghee or oil. Fold it again into a quarter-circle (a triangle).
• Dip both sides in dusting flour and roll it out into a triangle 6 inches (15 cm) on a side.
• Place the shaped paratha on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure the rolled breads do not touch. Cover them all with a damp cloth.
4. Cook the Parathas
• Preheat a griddle or tawa over moderate heat for 2–3 minutes (about 375°F / 190°C). Brush it with a little ghee or oil.
• Slip one bread onto the griddle. Cook for 1.5 minutes.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of ghee around the edges and on top of the bread. Cook for another minute or until the bottom has reddish-brown spots.
• Turn the paratha over and drizzle another 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of ghee on the surface.
• Cook for up to 2 minutes more, rubbing the bottom of a spoon over the bread in a circular motion to encourage even cooking and puffing.
• When the paratha is crisp with reddish-brown spots on both sides, slip it into the cloth-lined basket.
• Repeat the process for the remaining breads.
