It makes 12 chapatis, enough to serve 6 people.
These are the simple breads that accompany almost every Indian meal. Their delicious flavor and chewy, soft texture depend on their freshness, and ideally, the chapatis should be served hot off the griddle, like tortillas. They can, however, be made an hour or two before dinner and reheated.
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
½ cup water
ghee (clarified butter) for brushing chapatis
Mix together the flour and salt, then add the vegetable oil and rub it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture is fairly homogeneous. Quickly stir in the water and start working the dough with your hand in the bowl until it holds together easily. If the dough continues to crumble, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding just enough to allow the dough to hold together.
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it energetically on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and form each piece into a ball. Roll the balls out as evenly as possible into thin circles about 7 inches across. Stack them and keep them covered to prevent them from drying out.
Heat a cast-iron frying pan and have a little bowl of ghee and a pastry brush handy. Do not butter or oil the pan. Cook the chapatis, one at a time, for a minute or so on each side. If they puff up, just press them down gently with a spatula. The capatis are done when brown spots show evenly over both sides.
As the chapatis are finished, stack them on a plate, brushing each one lightly with ghee. If it is necessary to reheat the chapatis, place them in a very hot pan for a few seconds on each side, or wrap them tightly in foil and put them in a hot oven just until they are warmed through.
