essentially there are 5 main types of bread in indian cuisine; poori, chapati, naan and parantha, all may be classed under the generic term of roti. Although there is a specific bread called roti also
usually or traditionally these breads are unleavened (contain no yeast) but they can also be made with a yeast dough (especially the naan) which might get cooked in a tandoor (a wood burning, clay based oven). This recipe is for the unleavened type. For a yeast based recipe clink on the link below
clarified butter is known as ghee in Indian cuisine, it is simply butter until it bubbles, removed from heat and allowed to settle and skimmed and strained to remove the impurities (the scum on top and the white milk solids that settle on the bottom). Once removed, this allows the butter to be heated without burning, but still retaining the butter flavour
place the flours, oil (or butter) and a pinch of salt into bowl
add sufficient warm water to form a loose slightly sticky dough
turn out onto a lightly floured work bench and knead for approx. 5 minutes until a nice soft, elastic dough is obtained, dusting a with a little more flour if required (continually folding it in half while kneading will laminate the dough, incorporating air and making for a lighter bread)
roll out dough, fold in half and re-roll, repeat three or four times
rub a little oil over dough, wrap in clingfilm and set aside for 30 minutes for best results (can be used immediately if required)
quickly reknead dough and divide into 10 even pieces
flatten and roll into oval shapes approx 1 mm thickness or approx 3cm thick for naan
cook as required (see chef notes below)
for poori
preheat 5cm of vegetable oil to 180C and deep fry each piece, turning occasionally until golden brown and crisp (they should puff up and inflate like a balloon)
for naan
preheat oven to its hottest setting, bake breads spread out onto a lightly oiled tray
for chapattis
brush each piece with a little oil or clarified butter and place in a hot, dry frying pan turn as required to prevent burning for approx 3 minutes. If you have a gas stove, turn a a gas ring and place finished product directly onto the gas hob, if you have laminated the dough correctly it should puff up like a balloon
chef notes
the naan and chapatis may also be brushed with plain or flavoured (garlic) melted butter once made
to keep warm, pile on top of each other and wrap in a clean tea towel
to this basic mixture many other ingredients can be added, e.g.
