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Whether they are humble everyday staples or creatively flavored and artfully prepared, Indian breads are integral to the country's cuisine. With roots well before Vedic times (the Vedas is a collection of Hindu scriptures believed to have been written about 5,000 years ago), no meal is complete without some form of bread made from dough or from a batter, which are similar to crepes and pancakes. Breads are used as scoops to sop up curries and as wraps for all dry-cooked dishes. Even the rice-eating communities, like those in the south and in the east of India, serve breads along with rice.
Indian breads are great-tasting, quick-cooking, easy enough to be made fresh at every meal, and nutrient-rich, because most are made with whole-grain flours.
Made with whole-grain flours (except for the occasionally consumed naans, kulchas and bhaturas) and flours made from legumes, Indian breads are great-tasting, full of healthful nutrients, quick-cooking, and easy enough to be made fresh at every meal.
Whole-wheat flour (gehun ka atta or atta) is by far the most popular for breads. The whole-wheat flour used for Indian breads is typically made by stone-grinding the whole kernel of wheat--bran, germ, and endosperm. Although all varieties of whole-wheat can be used to make the flour, Indians generally use a winter variety called durum--the hardest wheat of all. It is white and has a high protein-to-starch ratio and more gluten, which is necessary to bind the breads and give them their characteristic light texture. On the other hand, American whole-wheat flour, the type available in supermarkets, is made with a soft summer wheat and is not best suited for Indian breads. This flour is reddish in color, has a coarser texture, and yields heavier breads.
Stone-ground durum wheat flour is available in most health food markets and in all Indian markets. If you can't find it, mix two parts whole-wheat flour with one part all-purpose flour, although even this leads to heavier and drier breads.
There are many types of Indian breads distinguished mainly by how they are made. Of course, there are variations and exceptions, but this classification generally holds true.
GRIDDLE BREADS: Made on the tava (concave Indian griddle), these are mostly non-leavened, round, triangular, or square flatbreads called roti, chapati, phulka, rotli, and parantha.
DEEP-FRIED BREADS: Fried in an Indian wok or deep skillet, these leavened and un-leavened breads are called poori, kulcha, lucchi, or baati. They can be as small as 3 inches in diameter or as big as 1 foot across.
TANDOORI BREADS: Baked by slapping them along the inside wall of a tandoor oven, these breads, called tandoori roti, parantha, naan, or kulcha, can be round or triangular.
CREPES AND PANCAKES: Griddle-fried and made with batters rather than a dough, and eaten in place of standard breads; these breads, called dosas, uthapam, pudhas, and chillas, are generally round.
Most of the everyday breads such as the chapatis (whole-wheat griddle breads) and paranthas (griddle-fried breads) are typically made on a tava--a round, slightly concave, cast-iron griddle. It looks like an omelet pan, with a gentle, gradual curve to the bottom but without a lip. A tava comes in various sizes--anywhere from 10 inches to 3 feet, but only the smaller 10- to 12-inch ones are used in homes. Look for tava griddles in Indian markets. Tava griddles, though crucial to Indian bread making, can be replaced with a regular square or rectangular cast-iron or nonstick griddle.
To keep your breads from sticking to it, season it every time you wash it. To season, h at the tava over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Put 2 to 3 drops of melted ghee or oil on it, and quickly, with a clean cotton kitchen towel; spread the oil all over the tava. There will be a lot of smoke for a minute or two, until you wipe off the oil, so turn on the exhaust fan and open the windows, if you have any in the kitchen.
Do not wash the tava with soap and water after each use. As long as you use your tava only to make breads, after using it, just let it cool completely, wipe off any excess flour, and store it someplace dust free. I store mine in the oven.
SIMPLE GRIDDLE BREADS
Basic Whole-Wheat Dough
Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads
Multi-Flour Griddle Breads
GRIDDLE-FRIED BREADS (PARANTHAS)
Basic Griddle- Fried Breads
Griddle-Fried Oat Breads with Ajwain Seeds
Griddle-Fried Legume Breads
Griddle-Fried Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Breads
My Healthy Griddle-Fried Mashed Potato Breads.
Griddle- Fried Layered Mint, Ajwain, and Black Pepper Breads
Griddle- Fried Layered Green Chile Pepper Breads
Griddle-Fried Flaky Onion Breads
Griddle- Fried Mughlai Breads with Almonds and Poppy Seeds
STUFFED GRIDDLE-FRIED FLATBREADS
Basic Stuffed Griddle-Fried Breads
Potato Parantha Stuffing
Cauliflower Parantha Stuffing
Daikon Radish Parantha Stuffing
Paneer Cheese Parantha Stuffing
Ground Lamb Parantha Stuffing
Sweet Jaggery-Stuffed Paranthas
PUFFED DEEP-FRIED BREADS (POORIYAN)
Basic Deep-Fried Puffed Breads
Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Ajwain Seeds
Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Mint (or Fenugreek)
Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Fresh Spinach
Deep-Fried Stuffed Puffed Breads
Deep-Fried Sweet Saffron Puffed Breads
Deep-Fried Bengali-Style Flour Breads
Deep-Fried Leavened Flour Breads
OVEN-GRILLED NAAN AND OTHER BREADS
Basic Oven-Grilled Leavened Breads
Oven-Grilled Garlic and Turmeric Breads
Spicy Oven-Grilled Breads with Kalonji or Sesame Seeds
Oven-Grilled Breads with Dried Herbs and Spices
Stuffed Pepper Jack Cheese Oven-Grilled Breads
Oven-Grilled Tofu Breads
Baked Semolina Breads
SPECIAL BREADS
Punjabi Griddle-Fried White Corn Breads
Griddle-Fried Chickpea Flour Breads
Griddle-Fried Leavened Breads
Griddle-Cooked Flour and Potato Bread for Spicy Wraps
Griddle-Fried Millet Breads with Potatoes
Griddle-Fried Sorghum Breads with Onions
Griddle-Fried Gujarati Fenugreek Breads
Griddle-Fried Opo Squash Breads
Basic Rajasthani Rolls
Potato Stuffed Baati Rolls
Rolls with Oat Bran and Fresh Mint
CREPES AND PANCAKES
Basic South Indian Rice and Bean Crepes
Semolina Crepes
Stuffed South Indian Crepes
Rama's Sweet Crepes
Crispy Chickpea Flour Crepes
Traditional Lentil Pancakes
Yellow Mung Bean Pancakes
Stuffed Mung Bean Pancake Rolls
Rice Flour Pancakes with Carrots
Semolina Pancakes with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers
From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Baked Semolina Breads Basic Deep-Fried Puffed Breads Basic Griddle-Fried Breads Basic Oven-Grilled Leavened Breads Basic Rajasthani Rolls Basic South Indian Rice and Bean Crepes Basic Stuffed Griddle-Fried Breads Basic Whole-Wheat Dough Cauliflower Parantha Stuffing Crispy Chickpea Flour Crepes Deep-Fried Bengali-Style Flour Breads Deep-Fried Leavened Flour Breads Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Ajwain Seeds Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Mint (or Fenugreek) Deep-Fried Stuffed Puffed Breads Deep-Fried Sweet Saffron Puffed Breads Griddle-Cooked Flour and Potato Bread for Spicy Wraps Griddle-Fried Chickpea Flour Breads Griddle-Fried Flaky Onion Breads Griddle-Fried Gujarati Fenugreek Breads Griddle-Fried Layered Green Chile Pepper Breads Griddle-Fried Layered Mint, Ajwain, and Black Pepper Breads Griddle-Fried Leavened Breads Griddle-Fried Millet Breads Griddle-Fried Mughlai Breads with Almonds and Poppy Seeds Griddle-Fried Opo Squash Breads Griddle-Fried Sorghum Breads with Onions Griddle-Fried Spinach and Red Bell Pepper Breads Ground Lamb Parantha Stuffing My Healthy Griddle-Fried Mashed Potato Breads Oven-Grilled Breads with Dried Herbs and Spices Oven-Grilled Garlic and Turmeric Breads Oven-Grilled Tofu Breads Paneer Cheese Parantha Stuffing Potato Parantha Stuffing Potato Stuffed Baati Rolls Punjabi Griddle-Fried White Corn Breads Rama's Sweet Crepes Rice Flour Pancakes with Carrots Rolls with Oat Bran and Fresh Mint Semolina Crepes Semolina Pancakes with Tomatoes and Bell Peppers Spicy Oven-Grilled Breads with Kalonji or Sesame Seeds Stuffed Pepper Jack Cheese Oven-Grilled Breads Sweet Jaggery-Stuffed Paranthas Traditional Lentil Pancackes Whole-Wheat Griddle Breads Yellow Mung Bean Pancakes Pressed Rice Flakes with Peas and Potatoes Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Red Chard Pilaf Multi-Flour Griddle Breads Griddle-Fried Oat Breads with Ajwain Seeds Daikon Radish Parantha Stuffing Flavored Deep-Fried Puffed Breads Deep-Fried Puffed Breads with Fresh Spinach Stuffed South Indian Crepes Stuffed Mung Bean Pancake Rolls * Breads and Crepes Griddle-Fried Legume Breads
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