Indian Flatbread

Indian Flatbread

Season: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring

Type: Basics & Breads

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: Makes 32 individual small flatbreads

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredient: Flour

 

Flatbreads generally include leavened bread, such as pita, or unleavened, such as mountain bread. Both types are common throughout the Middle-East and beyond, and are popularly used for wraps as well as toasted for salads, dips and sauces. In an Indian village the ‘fat’ would have been butter made from buffalo milk. Here oil is used instead. This Indian flatbread is great with beetroot raita.

Equipment

To cook the bread:

  • 2 baking trays
  • 2 heavy-based frying pans
  • rolling pin
  • spatula or egg flipper
  • tongs


For the dough:

  • small bowl
  • mixer with large bowl and dough hook attachment
  • large bowl
  • clean tea towel
 

Ingredients

To cook the bread:

  • flour for dusting the workbench


For the dough:

  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 kg plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
 
 
Recipe source:
 

Foster Primary School, Victoria

 

What to do:

Each class shapes and bakes their own, then makes a batch of dough to rise for the next class. The first class of the day will need their dough to be made for them ahead of time.

  • You will form your breads using the dough made for you by the previous class. At the end, you will make the dough for the class following you.
  • Preheat the oven to 120?C and place the baking trays in the oven.
  • Tip out the dough and divide it into 32 even pieces, each the size of a small egg. What do you think the best method is to divide the dough?
  • Do not play with or knead the dough – if you do your bread will be tough to eat!
  • Dust the workbench with some flour.
  • Flatten a piece of dough (using the heel of your hand) into a round shape and use the rolling pin to roll it out thinly, to about 10 cm in diameter.
  • While the dough is being shaped, heat both frying pans until hot.
  • Place a disk of rolled-out dough into a hot, dry pan and cook for 3 minutes. Flip it over with your spatula and cook for a further 3 minutes. You should be able to cook a few at a time.
  • As the flatbreads cook they will develop a few bubbles and brown splotches. This shows they are done.
  • Using tongs, transfer the cooked flatbreads to one of the warm baking trays and return them to the warm oven until we are ready to eat.

To make the dough:

  • In the small bowl, dissolve the salt in the water. Add the oil.
  • Place the flour in the large bowl of the mixing machine. Attach the dough hook.
  • With the motor running, trickle in the oil, salt and water mixture. Mix for about 8 minutes or until the dough looks smooth.
  • Tip the dough into a large bowl and cover with a dry tea towel. Leave to rest for the next class.