Nothing beats a good chapati, good flakey soft chapati with a stew of your choice. This East African chapati is a soft, flakey unleavened bread that is quite different from the Indian flatbread because this chapati uses aa substantial amount of oil in its preparation. In a bowl, add all-purpose flour then to that add salt and oil then mix that together thoroughly. Start adding a little bit of lukewarm water at a time while mixing it into the dough as the dough starts to form.

Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead the dough for about 15 minutes, you can add more flour when the dough appears to be sticking top your hands, the resulting dough should be smooth, soft and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover it then allow it to rest for about 30 minutes and once rested, bring the dough to the work surface and roll it out then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. It can be more or less depending on how big or small you want your chapatis to be.

On a lightly floured surface roll out each piece of the dough to about 8 inches in diameter, the chapatis dough is ready at this point and you can start to cook them if you wish to. Alternatively, if you want to create layers for your chapatis, lightly oil the chapatis then roll it out from one end to the other and make sure it’s tightly rolled up. Coil the rolled chapati dough and pull the tip to the center of the coiled chapati dough then tuck it in. Cover them with a damp towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a circle starting from the center then outwards, roll it about one-eighth thickness since the dough is elastic. Heat up a pan, until it is hot then place the chapati, inside the pan then oil the chapati with about a tablespoon of oil and spread it making sure all the edges are covered with oil.

Once you start seeing bubbles on the chap[atis, flip it and brush the other side with oil and keep flipping it until you achieve your desired golden brown color on the chapatis. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes and the end product should be soft, flakey well-layered chapati, Chapatis is best eastern when hot or warm and can be served with any kind of sauce, rolled with eggs or eaten on its own.

Ingredients;

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus a little more flour for kneading
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3 Tablespoons oil
  • 11/4 Cups Water

Instructions;

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and oil in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the water a little at a time to form a soft and sticky dough.
  2. Turn to a floured surface; knead for about 10 to 15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl. Cover and let it rest in a warm place for about 20 to 30 minutes.
  3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each piece into a circle. You can roll out the dough into a circle cook the Chapatis at this point. However, if you want a flaky and well-layered chapati, move on with the rest of the steps below.
  4. Lightly brush the rolled out chapati with some Oil and roll it as you would roll up a mat.
  5. At this point, it should be like a rope then roll the ”rope-like” to form a coil then pull the tip towards the center of the coil and tuck in using your index finger then cover it up with a damp towel and leave it to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Flour your work surface again and start rolling out each of the coiled dough to about 1/8th thickness (the dough will eventually shrink up to about 1-2/4 inch thickness).
  7. Preheat a non-stick pan or a heavy bottom skillet. Place the chapati on inside the pan and leave it to cook for a few seconds before disturbing it.
  8. Brush the surface of the chapati with a very thin layer of oil. Once you begin to see bubbles rise on top of the chapati, flip it over to the other side and brush it also with a thin layer of Oil.
  9. Continue to flip over about one or two more times until you achieve your desired brownness. Serve hot or warm and enjoy with your favorite dish.