Be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, chapathis can be an excellent choice and they can be paired with veg or non-veg dishes, or even jam or peanut butter for kids. However, all of this is true only if your chapathi is soft and warm. Here are some tips to ensure that they turn out soft and remain fresh and delicious for long.
Make the dough using lukewarm water
Lukewarm water is always preferred to room temperature water while preparing the chapathi dough. Many use normal water which may make chapathis hard. Hot water denatures the gluten content. However care should be taken to add only an appropriate amount of water to mix with the wheat flour and knead it to make the dough soft and pliable. Now keep the dough aside for five minutes, covering the vessel with a lid. Make small-sized balls of dough and flatten them to prepare soft chapatis.
Add oil or ghee after lightly heating them
Take a teaspoon of oil or ghee, heat it a little, and then pour it into the batter to knead it with your fist and make chapathis. While kneading, sprinkle lukewarm water. Smear a little oil over the kneaded dough and keep it aside.
The muslin cloth technique
If you rush while making chapatis, they won’t puff up to become spongy, while cooking. Follow a simple tip to make it soft even while preparing them quickly. Wet a muslin cloth, wring the extra water, and spread it on the dough for 10 minutes. Then prepare the chappatis.
Add egg to puff up the chapathi
If you want the chapatis to puff up properly, add egg to the dough. However, don’t mix it directly; you can follow this step – take the egg whites in a glass and add two drops of lemon juice to it. Stir well. Now take a tablespoon of this liquid, pour the same over the dough, and knead it. You can make soft and pliable chapatis like this.
Add curd
Those who don’t like eggs can add curd instead. However, care should be taken to ensure that the curd hasn’t been fermented too much. Like an egg, the curd will make the chapatis puff up and become soft. You have to add two tablespoons of curd, without any particles. Don’t mix it immediately after taking it out of the fridge. Let it attain normal temperature and then add to the wheat flour.
Only a pinch of baking soda needed
Baking soda is used in small amounts at times, to make breads soft and spongy. Add a pinch of baking soda to the wheat flour and mix it well, before making chapathi. Now you can start making the dough, using warm milk or lukewarm water. The dough prepared thus should be kept aside for 10 to 15 minutes, after covering it with a lid. You can knead the dough again for one or two minutes and then flatten it to make chapatis. If these chapatis are kept covered in aluminum foil, they will remain fresh and soft till evening.
Press a little
While making the chapatis, if you press them a little on the upper side using a cloth, they will puff up properly.