Making Chapati in the Oven

Chapati, an Indian flatbread similar to tortillas, traditionally accompanies curry dishes for use as a scoop to carry the food to your mouth. Though Indians often cook these types of unleavened breads in a skillet, you can bake them in the oven. Oven-baked chapatis resemble those baked in a clay tandoor oven if you cook them on top of a baking stone. Watch them carefully to keep the bread from burning.

Things You'll Need

• Baking stone
• 2 cups finely ground whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• Rolling pin
• Long-handled spatula

Instructions

1. Set the baking stone on the bottom rack of a cold oven, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for at least one hour to heat the stone throughout.

2. Combine 2 cups of finely ground whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of warm water to form a soft dough.

3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until it becomes slightly elastic.

4. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.

5. Roll each dough ball into a 5-inch round, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

6. Lay the rolled chapatis onto the preheated baking stone in the oven.

7. Cook the chapatis for 2 minutes in the oven.

8. Lift the baked chapatis from the baking stone with a long-handled spatula and serve them immediately.

References

• "Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through the Great Subcontinent"; Jeffrey Alford, et al.; 2005
• "Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery: The Complete Kitchen Companion from A to Z"; Margaret Fulton; 2009