Chapatis

In Kenya I've tasted the most delicious chapatis. The ingredients in chaptis are few but I've never tried to make them. Today I tried today using this recipe from Allrecipes.com My chapatis didn't look anything like what I thought they should look like and it took awhile to get the hang of the correct heat for the pan without setting off my fire alarm from smoke, *laugh.

The dough is rolled into balls and ready to be rolled into chapati circles.

These chapatis were fine and look more like the one's I've had in vegetarian restaurants here. I need to continue to make these to 'perfect' them.  I also need to make sure the heat source is right so they bubble up like they are supposed to. Some of my chapati pieces bubbled up and others did not.

One recipe I reviewed didn't oil the pan first. I tried that approach and it didn't work. It only smoked. Perhaps I had the heat too high.  I found lightly greasing the pan worked much better. I also preferred my cast iron skillet to my metal pan for this recipe.  I also checked on line and found some native chapati makers from Uganda and Kenya. They used much more oil in the pan than I saw in the recipe and one used no oil at all. So I guess I will experiment as I know all stoves are different. Unfortunately my burners are either too hot or not hot enough so I probably need to use the oil until I get my burners fixed. Not sure how to do that. Perhaps I need a new fuse in the stove that controls the burner.

Next time I will also use more whole wheat flour next time as today I was low on this ingredient. I will also play around with increasing the recipe next time so I can make larger chapatis.

This one is puffing up properly.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup hot water or as needed
  

  Directions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough. 

  

  Ready for dinner.

  So overall the taste was fine. It's just the appearance that needs work. Have you ever tried to make chapatis? If yes, what are your tips?