Paratha (Flakey South Asian Flatbread)

I’m a bread girl through and through. Between bread and rice, both will be the death of me lol. Bread specifically is so delicious and so versatile and it’s the ultimate comfort food. Paratha is no different. It’s a flakey flat bread that’s made all throughout Asia and enjoyed with Chai, with curries, and or even as a meal by themselves. This flatbread is similar to roti in that it’s soft and pan fried but different because of the buttery layers throughout. It’s crispy on the outside and soft and flakey on the inside.

For my girls (and guys) who have tried naan, this my friend is 100 times better. You cannot, I repeat, cannot even compare the two. The flakey-ness in this Paratha is just beyond!

• You can get creative with your buttery mixture by adding in different herbs/spices but my go-to is adding fresh parsley and the Home Beis House blend. It creates the best garlicky and herb flavor in this and its so good.

• Scallions are great in place of the parsley and results are delicious. Tastes like an asian scallion pancake

• You can also ditch the herbs and garlic completely to make a plain Paratha flatbread. It’s great to enjoy with coffee or tea in the morning for breakfast. So yummy! For the buttery mixture just simply melt your butter and brush onto the dough as mentioned in the directions.

• The recipe calls for 2/3 cups of warm water but if your dough reaches the sticky consistency before adding the remainder of the water that’s totally fine. Sometimes the flour to water ratio is a bit off depending on how much is added which is why I mention using half first at the other half slowly as you mix.

• If you add too much water, feel free to add in a little flour as you go until you have the right consistency

• You can substitute the butter here for vegan butter, a coconut oil and butter mixture, or an oil and butter mixture. I find that using butter alone provides the best flakey result

Here’s how to make it. The recipe will provide you with 4 Paratha flatbreads.

Ingredients:

For the Paratha

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

• A big pinch of baking powder

• 2/3 of warm water

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

• Flour, for kneading and cooking surface

• Oil, for cooking

Buttery Spread

• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon of Parsley, chopped

• A pinch of Home Beis House blend

• 1 garlic clove, finely diced (optional)

Directions

First, we form our dough! In a medium or large bowl, incorporate the flour, baking powder, salt. Mix to combine and then create a well in the center of the flour mixture by using your finger tips. Then, pour in half of your warm water. Then, use your fingers to combine the water into the flour mixture. Small crumbs will begin to form and the dough will begin to form.

Then, add in the remainder of your warm water slowly while combining with your fingers to form the dough. Your dough should be a sticky consistency. Knead the dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes until all of the flour has been incorporated into the dough and very little to no crumbs are left in your bowl. Try your best to pick up the crumbs by pressing the dough into the bowl to pick up any remnants.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for another 2 minutes. Then, transfer the dough back to your bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and cover, set aside at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Then, we create our butter mixture. Combine melted butter with parsley and garlic. Mix to combine.

Now we form our Paratha. After dough has rested, divide into 4 equal portions. Work with one piece of dough at a time. On a clean and floured surface, roll out dough as thin as possible with your rolling pin ensuring that the rolling has also been floured. Try to roll the dough into a rectangular shape. This will make it easier to roll once we brush on the butter mixture.

Then, we brush the butter spread onto the Paratha dough. Using a brush, brush your buttery mixture onto the thinly rolled Paratha dough. Then, roll the dough length wise into a cigar style shape. Once you have a long rolled dough. Grab the dough on each side and tug at it a bit to stretch the dough. Do this very lightly. The goal is to create some elasticity. Next, roll the stretched dough into a cinnamon roll/pin wheel while tucking in the end at the bottom of the pin wheel. Set aside and repeat for the remaining pieces of dough.

Now, we do one final roll and then we pan fry the Paratha. Working with one dough (pin wheel) at a time. Use your rolling pin to roll your pin wheels into a thin pancake. The shape here doesn’t matter really but try to focus on creating a circular pancake.

Heat a skillet under medium to high heat with oil. Then, pan fry the dough until nice and golden on each side. Should take about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Repeat until you’ve rolled and pan fried each one of your pinwheels.

Transfer your pan fried Paratha to plate and cover with a kitchen cloth to ensure they stay warm.

Enjoy by accompanying with a salad, a rice bowl, or even as a base for a wrap. This Paratha is insanely good and so flakey! I love accompanying it with a homemade copycat Cava salad or Mediterranean Rice Bowl. This Paratha is great to enjoy for breakfast as well with a nice warm cup of coffee or tea.