Easy East African Chapati recipe that’s made without yeast or baking powder. You’ll love how soft and pliable this chapati is, making it perfect to use as a wrap or to dunk into sauces. The possibilities are endless!
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine African, Indian
Keyword chapati, parantha, roti
Prep Time 50 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Resting time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Author Jayne Rain
Ingredients
500gAll-purpose flour(sifted to remove any lumps)
50gAll-purpose flour(for kneading and dusting)
280mlWaterlukewarm
1tspSea salt
1/2cupGhee OR butter OR oil
1tspSugaroptional
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add water, oil, sugar and salt and mix well. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon tillthe mixture comes together.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is smooth and supple.
Alternatively, make the dough using a kitchen aid with a dough hook attachment for 5 to 8 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 to 14 pieces and form them into balls between your palms or between the kitchen countertop and your palm.
Cover the balls with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
Lightly flour your working surface and work on one dough ball at a time. Gently press with fingers and roll out as thin as you can with a rolling pin.
Gently brush the rolled dough surface with melted butter/Ghee/Oil. Follow by sprinkling some flour all over it.
Once that is done, roll the dough like you would a mat. After that, coil the mat-like-dough and tuck the end in the middle of the coil.
Repeat the process with all the dough balls. This is the process that will ensure layers in your East African Chapati.
Cover the dough once more and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes:
Working with one dough at a time, lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough using a rolling pinin to a circle.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and place the rolled out dough.
Cook for about 30 seconds till bubbles appear on the upper side and flip. Brush the upper cooked surface with melted butter/ghee/oil and once you are done, flip to the original side. (At this point, both sides have been partially cooked without oil and the surface on the frying pan is brushed with oil).
Now, brush the upper side too with oil and using a flat spatula, press chapati gently against the skillet for15 seconds.
16. Flip once more and press the other side gently against the skillet too. Remove the chapati from the skillet and store in a container covered with a clean kitchen towel.