Chapati

Method

1. mix3 min
   by hand, water added in stages
   atta + salt + most of the water, adding the last spoonfuls only as needed — atta drinks more water than white flour because the bran hydrates slowly, so a dough that feels correct at minute one will feel dry at minute ten. Aim for slightly stickier than you want.
2. knead8 min
   firm pressure, no added flour
   the mass, pushing and folding until it is smooth and takes a fingerprint without cracking. Atta is low in gluten and full of sharp bran that cuts the strands as they form, so the dough never becomes elastic like bread dough — you are working for cohesion and even hydration, not windowpane. Under-kneaded dough tears when rolled and the tear vents the steam that would have puffed it.
3. rest30 min
   covered, room temperature
   the dough under a damp cloth. The bran finishes absorbing water and the gluten relaxes; roll it straight away and the round shrinks back off the pin into an oval, and rolls unevenly thick, and an uneven chapati puffs only where it is thin.
4. prep8 min
   lightly dusted
   dough divided into 6 balls, each rolled to a 6-inch round of even thickness. Dust minimally — loose flour on the surface burns black on the tawa and tastes bitter. Turn the round a quarter after every pass instead of pressing harder on one side.
5. toast1.5 min
   dry tawa or cast iron, medium-high, no fat
   one round at a time: 30 seconds on the first side until the surface dulls and small blisters appear, flip, then 45 seconds until brown freckles form. The pan must be hot enough that water flicked on it skitters — a cool pan dries the bread out before the interior can generate steam, and you get a cracker.
6. char0.5 min
   direct flame, tongs
   the twice-cooked bread laid on an open burner for 5–10 seconds a side. The set outer skins trap the steam flashing out of the wet interior, the two layers separate, and the bread balloons. If it stays flat, the culprit is almost always a dough that was too dry or a tear from rolling.
7. top1 min
   off heat, stacked
   finished chapatis + a brush of ghee, stacked in a covered cloth. The trapped steam keeps them pliable; left in open air they stiffen into leather within five minutes.