The Wayward Oven: Sourdough Indian flatbreads

SOURDOUGH CHAPATI AND HERBED ROTI

Chapati is one of those foods I grew up with. We usually ate it with a curry made of tinned sardines in tomato sauce and tinned peas. To bulk up the curry with extra starch for her seven active growing children, my mother would add cubes of potatoes.

At first, she used to manually roll out balls of dough into discs. I never helped, being averse to the kitchen. Later, she got a chapati/tortilla press and then, I decided pressing out circles of dough was fun and would fight for a turn at the gadget.

I don't know when my palate started rejecting tinned sardines (still love tinned peas and spuds!) but I have never grown out of my love for chapati. When I started cooking (later in life and only as a fully grown adult), I made and ate the flatbread at least once a week, sometimes with a simple dhall or potato curry, but most often, just on its own.

I've received all sorts of suggestions on the best way to make chapati. The flatbread is often associated with the Sikh community, and all the expert aunties have their own wonderful recipes: Mix ghee into the dough. Brush ghee on the chapati only at the end! Knead for half an hour. Don't knead! Use tepid water. The water must be as hot as you can stand if you stick in a finger! ... and so on. Thankfully, the ladies were not all together in one room when they were proffering advice and I didn't get caught in the crossfire.

The method I like best involves a combination of equal amounts of atta and plain flours, salt to taste and enough freshly boiled water to amalgamate everything into a soft dough. The dough is only briefly kneaded until smooth and set under a mixing bowl on a work surface for about 30 minutes. The residual heat from the water keeps the dough soft. From this basic recipe, other ingredients can be added for various flatbreads, like this Spinach Roti I posted on some time ago.

And why not a sourdough chapati? Technically, a chapati is unleavened, but a starter adds flavour more than leavening. The dough will puff up anyway on the heat even without any rising agent. With the starter, however, I use warm instead of boiling water.

Look at that pufferfish, er, dough go

Sourdough Chapati

Makes 8 (15cm) chapati

1 cup atta flour

¼ cup plain flour, plus extra for rolling

½ tsp salt

Large pinch of green fennel seeds

½ cup fed sourdough starter

½- ¾ cup warm water

Ghee or oil

Stir atta flour, plain flour, salt and seeds together in a mixing bowl. Add the sourdough starter and ½ cup water; stir until the mixture comes together. If still dry and crumbly, add extra water a little at a time to form a soft, but not sticky, ball. Cover bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces; form into balls. On a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough into a thin circle, about 15cm in diameter.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet or tawa until very hot. Brush some ghee on the surface. Cook chapati until puffed and lightly charred in places, about 2 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side. Place on a plate covered with a cloth to keep warm (brush with ghee and sprinkle with seeds, if desired), and cook the rest of the chapati.