Most Indian dishes are essentially incomplete without the delicious Indian breads. Prepared from simple ingredients, this is the taste of Indian tradition. These breads are made from finely milled whole wheat flour and water. Indian daily breads are called chapati, phulka and roti and parantha. Pooris are fried breads that are usually made on holidays, festive occasions and for entertaining. Indian flat breads are eaten with the fingers to go with tasty curries and vegetables. Given here is everything you need to know as a beginner:

Tools Required

Cast Iron concave griddle 8-12 inches in diameter called tawa
A shallow mixing bowl
A rolling pin
A large plate for dusting the dough while rolling it out
Some tongs for the beginner
A wok stand placed over the electric or gas burner
A grilling rack which is placed over the wok stand
A wok for deep frying for Pooris and other fried breads only -

Making dough for Indian Flatbreads

Put flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in a stream of water in the center. Use one hand to mix the flour and water in a rotating motion from the center of the bowl outward, until the dough is moist enough to be gathered into a rough mass.

Wet hands and continue until the mixture cleans the sides of the bowl and has become a nonsticky, kneadable dough. When the dough is kneaded, it will be elastic and silky smooth.

To test the dough, press it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back, it is ready to be rested. Resting the dough is the last step and allows the dough to relax and absorb the water and kneading.

Rest for 1/2 hour in warm climates and 1.5 hours in cold climates. Cover with a wet towel so the dough does not dry out. The rested dough is light and springy, less resistant to being rolled out into the thin rounds.

Roti/Chapati

The ingredients (for about 6 Rotis) -
2.5 cups chappati flour with 1 cup water at room temperature made into a dough
1 cup chappati flour in a large plate for dusting the dough while rolling it out
Ghee for brushing the bread

Method to roll out the dough: Prepare the desired amount of dough from the Basic Dough recipe. After resting for 2-2 1/2 hours, knead well. Divide the dough into peach-size balls. On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough with your hand. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a thin,round patty, about 5 inches in diameter.

Roll from the center, turning patty several times to prevent sticking. Try to make the edges slightly thinner than the center. As you cook the chappati/roti, one could be rolling out the next, rather than shaping all of the chapatis at one time.

Method of cooking the chappati or roti: Preheat a cast-iron tawa over medium heat. Place the rolled dough on the palm of one hand and flip it over on to the tawa. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over. When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs (chimta) to remove the chapati from the skillet.

Gas Stove: If you have a gas stove, hold the cooked chapati over a medium flame and it will puff up immediately. Turn quickly to flame-bake the other side. Do this several times, taking care that the edges are well cooked.

Electric Stove: If you have an electric stove, chapatis can be encouraged to puff by pressing them with a clean kitchen towel after the first turn on each side. Repeat the shaping and cooking process until all chapatis are cooked.

To keep the chapatis warm as they are cooked, place them in a towel-lined bowl and fold over the sides of the towel. Serve hot, either completely dry or topped with a small amount of ghee or butter.

Poori

The Ingredients (to serve for 2-3 people):
2.5 cups chappati flour
2/3 cup water at room temperature
ghee for brushing the bread while rolling out the dough
Oil for deep frying

Method to roll out the dough:
Make stiff but pliable dough.
Cover the dough with damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
Knead dough a little again. Dough should be stiff enough to roll without extra flour.
Make small balls of the dough and cover them with damp cloth.
Take one ball of dough and dip a corner of ball in melted ghee or oil and roll it out into 4 to 5 inches round.
Repeat the same process to roll out all pooris.