Chapati Recipe – Flaky, layered, and super satisfying flatbread with only five simple ingredients tastes way better than store-bought. The mild, nutty flavor is ideal for beef stew and other meat or veggie dishes. And what better way to relieve stress than kneading bread?
This delightful recipe for chapati is super simple to throw together with just five ingredients and a little patience. Rolling and coiling the dough for a flaky flatbread is so worth the little time it takes. And it’s a must-have side for any East African dish.
I love kneading chapati dough because it’s so relaxing. Plus, it develops the gluten for that satisfying chew we enjoy with flatbreads. Then the coil makes it light and flaky, and brushing the outer layers with oil gives it a delicately crispy edge.
Where Does Chapati Come From?
If you’ve tried East African food, especially from Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya, and Burundi, you are familiar with the unleavened pan-grilled bread—chapati. It’s different from the Indian chapati recipe because it’s coiled and also enjoys the deliciousness of either ghee or oil. Most say it was born in Egypt and has been in the East African culinary heritage for millenniums.😍
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – For the base of the dough, I prefer all-purpose flour because it’s easier to work with.
- Ghee – For more flavorful and aromatic chapatis, ghee is the best. It also softens the texture and provides a lightly crispy outer layer.
How to Make Chapati
Prep the Dough
- Mix – In a large bowl, add flour and make a well, then add sugar and salt, followed by water, ghee, or oil. (Photos 1-2)
- Knead to form a soft and sticky dough. Place the dough on a heavily floured board and knead for about 8-10 minutes. Continue adding flour as needed while kneading to keep it from sticking. Be careful not to overdo it; your dough should be soft, elastic, and smooth. (Photos 3-5)
- Rest – Divide the dough into 6-8 pieces according to how large or small you want your chapatis, and let it rest. Resting the dough relaxes the gluten, making it easier to work with and producing tender chapati. (Photo 6)
- Roll – Roll out the dough into a circle with a rolling pin. They don’t have to be perfect. (Photo 7)
Coil the Chapati
- Layering – At this stage, you may proceed to cook. However, if you want coiled chapatis, continue with the following steps.
- Grease – Lightly oil chapati dough with ghee. Be gentle with the oil. (Photo 8)
- Press – Then place dough on a heavily floured plate and press it down. (Photos 9-10)
- Shake Excess Flour – Turn the dough over and press down – lightly shake off excess flour.
Shape It
- Form – Shape dough like you would shape a paper fan – Starting at one end and all the way to the opposite end. (Photo 11)
- Coil – Then coil it up like in the picture. (Photo 12)
- Rest – When all the dough has been coiled, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 minutes. (Photo 13)
- Roll – Gently flatten the coiled dough and roll it out. Begin rolling the dough from the center, working outwards. (Photos 14-15)
- Make a Circle – Rotate the dough each time you roll it so you can make a circle. But don’t roll it out too much because chapatis aren’t meant to be thin—about ¼-inch thick works.
Cook the Chapati
- Oil Pan – Then place the dough on the pan (I used a crepe pan, but a skillet works too). (Photo 16)
- Prep Bread – Heavily oil the other side of the dough, making sure you also get the edges.
- Fry – Cook for 2-3 minutes, rotating as needed until golden brown. (Photos 17-18)
- Serve warm.
Recipe Variations
- Veggie-Infused – You can add grated veggies, such as carrots, squash, and potatoes, to the dough, like in Kenyan chapatis or vegetable omelets in Uganda.
- Softer Bread – Use a 50/50 water-to-milk ratio to make softer flatbreads.
- Stuffed Chapatis – Aside from veggies, you can add grated cheese and egg while cooking the chapatis.
Tips and Tricks
- The right amount of kneading is crucial because gluten won’t develop well without it, changing the texture. Also, oil makes the chapati soft and prevents it from drying out.
- Lukewarm water creates a smoother, more supple dough, but remember to add it gradually so the dough doesn’t get too wet.
- Resting time is also essential since it makes the dough easier to roll without breaking apart.
- Be careful not to overcook it. A non-stick pan helps prevent the bread from sticking and burning.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make the dough ahead, then transfer it to a covered bowl and refrigerate it for 24 hours. Allow it to rest at room temperature for an hour before rolling it into individual chapatis.
Or you can freeze the raw dough or chapatis for three months. Allow the dough to thaw and come at room temperature before cooking.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Chapati is best fresh, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag. It’ll keep in the fridge for four days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for 3-4 months. Thaw the bread in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen countertop for an hour before reheating.
Reheat in a hot skillet for 30 seconds. You could wrap them in a paper towel and zap them in the microwave on medium-low for a few seconds, but the skillet is better. Serve them with your favorite dishes, such as chicken curry and Ethiopian lentil stew.
FAQs
Chapati is simply bread. However, English speakers usually use the word chapati because it specifies what kind of bread—fried flat bread, either from East Africa or India.
Both roti and chapati are unleavened bread, but they differ in terms of cooking process and content. When cooking chapati, we oil both sides, while for roti, we only grease one side.
The name suggests that it originated in India. However, it is believed to have arrived in India from East Africa, specifically Egypt. Regardless of where it really came from, it’s delicious.
Mouthwatering Recipes You Can Use With Chapati
Chapati is tasty all by itself, but dip it in the curry chicken sauce or use it instead of a tortilla in a steak burrito for more deliciousness.
- Curry Channa and Aloo
- African Peanut Stew
- Ground Beef Curry
- Jamaican Curry Goat
- Crockpot Beef Tips & Rice
More Comforting Flatbread Recipes to Try
Conclusion
This simple East African chapati recipe is a sure winner because you only need basic ingredients. What are your favorite main dishes to go with flatbread? Let me know in the comments! ❤️
Watch How to Make It
This blog post was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”1m5Y3sEi” upload-date=”2019-04-01T06:51:26.000Z” name=”East African Chapati” description=”East African Chapati- Easy to make chapati that are Flaky, layered and Delicious. Made with a few simple ingredients.”]
Chapati Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter or oil)
- 1¼ cup warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour and make a well, then add sugar and salt, followed by water and ghee or oil.
- Knead to form a soft and sticky dough.
- Place dough on a heavily floured board and knead for 8-14 minutes. Continue to flour dough as needed to facilitate kneading. Be careful not to overdo it. The dough should be soft, elastic, and smooth.
- Divide dough into 6 or 8 pieces according to preference and let it rest. Resting helps to relax the gluten and makes it not only easier to work with but also produces tender chapati.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into a circle. They don't have to be perfect.
- At this stage, you may cook them. However, if you want chapatis with layers, follow the next steps.
- Lightly oil chapati dough with ghee. Be gentle.
- Then place the dough on a heavily floured plate, and press the dough down.
- Turn it over and press down again – lightly shake off excess flour.
- Shape dough like you would shape a paper fan – starting at one end and folding all the way to the opposite end.
- Then coil it up – like in the picture.
- When all the dough circles have been coiled, cover them with a damp cloth and let them rest for 20 minutes.
- Gently flatten each coiled ball and roll it out. Begin rolling from the center, working outwards.
- Rotate the dough out each time you roll it. That helps to make a perfect circle. Make sure they are not rolled out too thin. Chapatis are not meant to be thin – a ¼-inch thickness is good.
- Oil the pan. Then place the chapati on it. I used a crepe pan, but a skillet works just as well.
- Heavily oil the other side of the dough, making sure you oil the edges too.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, rotating as needed until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- The right amount of kneading is crucial. Gluten won’t develop well without it, changing the texture. Also, oil makes the chapati soft and prevents it from drying out.
- Lukewarm water creates a smoother, more supple dough, but remember to add it gradually so the dough doesn’t get too wet.
- Resting time is also essential since it makes the dough easier to roll without breaking apart.
- Be careful not to overcook it. A non-stick pan helps prevent the bread from sticking and burning.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Angela says
Great success here. My first time making chapatis. Being lazy, I used a bread machine to kneed dough and it came out just right consistency…soft on the point of being sticky but easy to manage. Loved making the fan shape and coiling it up. That made it much easier to get an even round shape for the final chapati. Saved half the coils to roll out tomorrow for curry again. Thanks for the recipe. It made six.
imma africanbites says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Angela. Glad it turned out great for you. Have a lovely day!
Paul says
A recipe we got from our cook in Uganda for her Chapatis called for adding a half cup of finely chopped onion to the mix. Is this normal for Uganda, or just possibly her twist on the recipe? Hers were very good, I just hadn’t seen that in other recipes like this one.
imma africanbites says
That sounds interesting! It might be her own twist to add more flavor and texture to the recipe. I might have to try that some other time. 🙂
Evan says
Looks like You guys combined chapathi and Lachha paratha technic (there are few ways we coil the dough) and called it African chapati. . Anyway, came to check out hummingbird cake and started to look thru the site. Finding some childhood favorite like baji. Coconut rice pancake is another childhood favorite after school snack. My grandma used to make it in Appe pan. Going to try some of your desserts.
ImmaculateBites says
Can’t wait to hear how it works out for you.Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Angel says
We were making chapatis for a school project. These turned out so good now my 11 year old and I want to make a whole meal!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome!Thanks for the feedback.
Deannisa says
Wow! Just Wow!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! All the instructions are clear and believe me, it turned out really well!! I couldn’t stop admiring my creation hahaha! At first I was so pessimistic because the flour is not white (I used atta flour, thats the only flour I could get here in South Sudan) and I have no idea of how does the ‘overdo-ing a dough’ looks like. I just put on timer on 12 minutes and kneaded the dough. But still it turned out perfect.
Here I always buy fresh chapati from the market (which was ok) but my chapati is different. It was soft, flaky, and I like the effect on how the folding-things made. And it went well with stew, egg, even condensed milk and cheese! I love it!
ImmaculateBites says
Virtual High five Girl! You did it ! So happy to hear it worked out SOOOO well for you. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Victoria Ijeoma says
Yum!! My family enjoys these Chapati for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Whole wheat Chapati, hot chocolate and egg whites, Chapati with beans, and franks, burritos…delicous!
ImmaculateBites says
OH YESS! It’s great with EVERYTHING. Me love it too!
Reini Haimann says
Thank you for the fantastic recipe. Our Kenian guests were delighted and I was reminded of my last visit in Kenia.
ImmaculateBites says
My pleasure! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
Tahina says
It is awesome!!! I love it and all my family members also. Thanks a lot. Now It will try your samossa recipe
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tahina! Glad to hear it worked out well for you and your family. Thanks for the feedback!
Ann says
I’m making them now and have to ask, are you meant to add water OR ghee? I added both, and the dough is way to sticky, even after adding an extra cup of flour. Thinking I should start over. 🙁
ImmaculateBites says
You add both together(the ghee and water). It shouldn’t be that sticky. I would suggest you start over and double check measurements.
Rose says
This recipe was just wonderful! Thank you very much.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
Danielle says
Thanks for this recipe! I wanted to make a Ugandan-style rolex, and am so glad I finally figured out how to make the chapati layered like that. Such a cool technique. It was a pretty easy recipe too, made it on my lunch break and wasn’t even late to work!
Thanks, and everything on your site is so beautiful and interesting! I can’t wait to try more stuff!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Making it during your lunch break…you go girl. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Riëtte says
This recipe is so much easier then the ones i’ve tried before, just one question 🙂
Is it okay for the dough to rest overnight? I want to make the dough the evening before so that i don’t have to much work the next day.
ImmaculateBites says
I don’t see why not. You will have to bring it to room temperature before rolling it out. Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Molly says
These were fabulous!! I watched a friend in Tanzania make chapati and this was very similar, except that she didn’t add sugar or do the fan element. In any event, these were delicious and perhaps even flakier! 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome!!!Yes, sugar is optional. Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
Ashley says
Made this to go with your Trinidad Chicken Roti. Your instructions and recipe were so clear and easy to follow. I did the coiling method and they turned out so well. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
AWESOME! Glad the coiling went well.
Pros says
Thanks Imma, for the delicious recipe. Can I freeze the dough? Please advise.
ImmaculateBites says
I freeze a lot of dough, but have never tried freezing this one. Don’t think it would be a problem though. Making sure it is completely thawed before using. Do let me know if it works out for you. Thanks
Lisa says
I freezed the dough and it went wery well. This recipe is absolutely amazing!
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you so much !
Penny says
We are heading to Nairobi this September and are serving Chapatiis at a fund raiser supper. Can we make and cook these a few days ahead and reheat?
ImmaculateBites says
It’s best the day of.It dries up. Have a Safe and Fun Trip.