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Wholemeal Griddle Bread (Paratha)

Wholemeal griddle bread, otherwise known as paratha. Madhur Jaffrey's delicious Indian flatbread recipe is simple and reliable. It will transform your Indian cooking.

From the book

Introduction

These are flat, wholemeal breads, best made in a heavy, cast-iron frying pan or griddle.

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Ingredients

100g (4oz) wholemeal flour plus 100g (4oz) plain flour, or 225g (8oz) chapati flour
Additional flour for dusting
½ tsp salt
About 9 tbsp vegetable oil

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Method

Put the flour and salt into a bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the flour and rub it in with your fingertips. Slowly add about 175ml (6fl oz) plus 1 tablespoon water, gathering the dough together into a ball as you do so.You should end up with a soft dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes and then make a ball. Put the ball in a bowl and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Set the dough aside for half an hour.

Knead the dough again and divide it into six parts. Keep five parts covered with a damp cloth as you work with the sixth. Make a round patty out of it and then roll it out on a floured surface until you have a 15cm (6in) round. Dust with extra flour whenever necessary. Spread about 1½ teaspoons oil on the top of this round. Gather the edges of the round together, forming pleats as you go. Soon you will have a closed pouch. Give the top of the pleats a small twist to close the pouch. Dust the pouch lightly with flour and put it, pleated side down, on a floured surface. Roll it out until it is about 18cm (7in) in diameter.

Heat a cast-irongriddle or frying pan over a mediumlow flame. When hot, spread a teaspoon of oil on it and slap the paratha onto its heated surface. Cook for about 2 minutes. The top of the paratha should now have turned fairly pale. Spread a teaspoon of oil over it with the back of a spoon. Cook for another minute or so, turning the heat down a bit if necessary. The first side should have developed some pale, reddish-brown spots. Turn the paratha over and cook the second side for about 3–3½ minutes or until it too develops pale, reddish-brown spots. Take the paratha off the fire and wrap in aluminium foil. Make all the parathas this way, stacking them in the same aluminium-foil bundle. Parathas may be reheated in the foil; place in the oven on 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for about 15 minutes.

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