How to make bhatura or fluffy deep-fried leavened sourdough bread
This dish is best paired with chole or chickpeas cooked with warm spices like cumin and cloves
| PREP TIME | 1 h : 30 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 15m |
| SERVES | Makes 20 - 24 pieces |
1 kg all-purpose flour
200 gms sooji or semolina
25 gms baking powder
400 ml water, approximately 2 cups
50 gms yoghurt
350 to 400 ml cooking oil to deep fry
1. Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, followed by oil and yoghurt. Mix the ingredients until the oil and yoghurt are well incorporated and form into big crumbs.
2. Now, begin kneading. Add water little by little and use your hands to knead. Keep going until the dough becomes soft and pliable. This could take about 5 to 10 minutes easily and would require some elbow grease.
3. You can do a finger test here - press the dough with a finger and see if it forms a dent. Similarly, if you pull it, it should stretch and be elastic. This process gives bhature a slightly chewy texture. Once done, grease the dough ball, cover it with a wet muslin cloth and let it rest for at least one hour, preferably in a warm place. This process allows the dough to ferment, giving the fried flatbread a mildly sour taste.
4. After an hour, remove the muslin cloth and break the dough into equal portions, depending on the size of bhature you want and roll it into balls. Make sure the balls are smooth and without cracks in it.
5. In the meanwhile, add oil in a large frying pan and heat it to deep-fry the bhature.
6. Take a rolling board and pin, and grease it with oil. Place the ball of dough on it and roll it out. Remember, roll it slightly bigger than the size you wish to, say 2 to 3 inches, because the dough tends to shrink back a little once rolled.
7. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the bhature one by one. A quick tip - roll out all the bhature in one go and then begin frying them if you are doing it all by yourself. If you have someone helping you, let one person roll out the bhature and the other deep-fry it. The oil needs to be hot and consistently at the same temperature.
8. Once done, remove the bhature with a ladle and place it on kitchen paper for excess oil to drain.
Note: The inside of the bread would be piping hot if served immediately. Wait for a minute or two and serve.
Serve warm with chole or spiced Indian chickpeas, and slices of freshly cut onions to crunch on. Enjoy!