It is no surprise that bread is a super important part of Indian cuisine. Today I will share 3 Indian bread recipes – chapatti, poori, and paratha. They are easy to make and taste just amazing. And also, you will need just a few ingredients – flour, warm water, salt, and oil. Check out the recipes below!

Chapatti Indian Bread Recipe

Chapatti is a favorite bread throughout India. The ingredients for this chapatti recipe are simple: flour, water, salt and oil, but it takes practice to make them just right. Traditionally, chapattis are made in a Tawa which is a slightly concave round griddle. A cast iron skillet makes a good substitute.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, sifted (Whole Wheat is traditional)
• Cold water
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon oil (for the mixture)
• oil for frying

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a bowl and add salt and oil and mix well. Slowly add the cold water and knead, making a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Divide the dough into 10 portions and roll each one into a round ball. Flour your working surface and roll each one into a round pancake about 5-6″ in diameter. Shake off the excess flour and set aside until they are all done. You can also start cooking after the first one is done.
3. Heat an iron frying pan or Tawa on medium heat. Oil the pan and place the chapatti on the pan and cook for about a minute or bubbles start to appear and then turn over. The chapattis might puff up on their own or place over a gas flame for a few seconds.
4. Place the chapattis between napkins until ready to be served. They are best served hot with a masala.

Note: The chapattis can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated or frozen. They taste best if they are reheated in an oven at about 400-425 for 15 minutes.

Indian Fry Bread (Poori) Recipe

Throughout India, Poori, or Indian Fry Bread is a favorite accompaniment to any curry. The Indian fry bread recipe is unique because when the bread is fried in hot oil it puffs up if done correctly. The texture of this bread is also very light and flake and ideal for dipping. The bread is usually fried in a Kadai, or cooking pan with a curved bottom. With a little practice, you will be able to make delicious Pooris in your own kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons yoghurt or buttermilk
• about 1 cup water
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Directions:

1. Mix the whole wheat and all purpose flours together and add salt. Add the yoghurt and half of the water and knead. (The traditional method of kneading uses the knuckles and spreading the dough flat and then repeating the process). Add enough water to make a firm dough, although it still needs to be workable. Set the dough aside for about an hour.
2. Make the dough into balls about the size of golf balls or about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Spread some flour very thinly on a work area and roll the balls into flat patties.
3. Heat the oil in the pan until it just smokes and put the dough in completely in the oil. It is important that the oil covers the top of the poori. The bread should puff up within a minute or two. When it does, turn it over carefully and cook the other side. Remove the pooris from the oil and drain well on a rack or paper towels.
4. Indian fried bread is best served hot with chutneys, potato crumble or as an addition to a curry.

Indian Fry Bread (Paratha) Recipe

Parathas or Flaky Indian Fry Bread is one of the home delights that you can make in your own kitchen. It is similar to the chapatti, except that once you have rolled out the dough into flat tortillas, you butter the top side and fold it over and repeat, which gives it the wonderful flakiness.

I have used a recipe with part wheat and part all-purpose flour, but you can make it with all whole wheat or all all purpose white flour. This Indian fry bread is a great addition to any meal. It can also be used for a snack especially if you have sauce to dip in. The variations of this recipe are great for stuffing since it is folded over. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoon oil
• 1 cup water
• flour for rolling
• 1/2 cup oil for brushing

Directions: 

1. In a bowl, stir the whole wheat and all purpose flour together with the salt. Work in most of the oil into the flour, reserving about 1 teaspoon. Add about half the water to the bowl at first and mix slowly adding the rest until you have a nice firm dough. It will take less or more water depending on the moisture content of the flour. Take the reserved oil and coat your fingers and the kneading surface with it and knead the dough on the greased surface for at least 10 minutes. The dough will end up soft (softer than chapatti or poori) and put it back into a bowl and cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1/2-1 hour.
2. Divide the dough in half and form one half into a thick roll about 1 1/2-2 inches thick and divide it into about 8 pieces (you can divide it into fewer pieces if you prefer larger parathas). Repeat with the other half and cover the divided pieces with a moist towel so that the dough does not dry out while you are working with each piece.
3. Put a little flour on a rolling board and take one piece and roll it out to make a thin circle. Brush the top lightly with melted butter oil and fold the dough in half with the butter side in the middle so that you have a semi-circle.
4. Roll this flat and butter again. Fold over again with the butter side in the middle and roll flat so that you have roughly a triangluar shape. Lightly oil a flat griddle or Tawa, which is an Indian circular flat pan used for chapattis and Parathas.
5. Place the Paratha on the griddle and fry a golden brown. As one side is frying, lightly brush melted butter on the uncooked side. Turn over and fry the other side. Repeat this with the remaining dough. Serve the Indian Fry Bread or Parathas warm. Enjoy!