Fresh paratha my mother used to make every morning had a crunchy outside and soft, flaky inside. That nostalgic feeling of my mother’s making breakfast is hard to match, but as a mom, I want to pass on a similar tradition to my kids, and this is the recipe I use to make my breakfast routine special.
Paratha is a tradition in my hometown; as long as I can remember, every morning, every single household starts their day with paratha, a cup of chai, and an omelet or some kind of leftover curry from last night’s dinner.
What do we need to make a paratha
Make your dough
To make the dough, ideally you need atta, which is a blend of all-purpose and wheat flour. However, I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. First, you will need salt, olive oil or butter, and water to knead the dough. Additionally, I have a little trick to make this dough easily.
In a bowl, start by adding the all-purpose flour, followed by salt and oil or butter. Next, rub it with your hands to combine the ingredients thoroughly. After that, slowly add water and mix it with the help of a spatula. Continue to slowly add water until all of your flour clumps into a ball. At this point, it will not be smooth at all. Moreover, apply some oil on the dough, cover it, and let it rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, begin to knead it with the help of your hands while applying a little bit of water, which will prevent the dough from sticking. Within about 5 minutes, your dough will be smooth. Now, cover it again and let it rest for another 10 minutes before rolling out.
Rolling out the paratha
Divide your dough into 4 or 6 sections and move it between your palms to make smooth dough balls. Sprinkle some flour on your surface and roll out your paratha, then apply some more oil or butter all over the rolled-out paratha, and sprinkle some all-purpose flour on it. (check the video)
Shape the paratha
Now, with the help of a knife or a pizza cutter, make a slit in the rolled-out dough and starting from the cut end, roll it inwards to form a cone. Press the cone down to make a dough ball. This step will ensure the multiple layers of the paratha. Now roll it out again to make a circle and cook on medium to low heat.
Cooking the paratha
Heat a Tawa or a pan and cook the paratha from one side over medium heat. Once it becomes clear, then it’s time to turn it over to cook from the other side. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil or ghee as you are cooking.
To ensure the crispy outside and soft inside, make sure to cook it on a medium to low flame and apply butter or oil while cooking.
Variations of the parathas
There are so many kinds of parathas: plain, filled with different kinds of vegetables, and even a meetha paratha, which is basically sugar-filled between the two layers of dough. This flaky kind I’m showing you how to make today is a perfect plain paratha you can enjoy by itself or with a cup of dhoodh pati chai.
More Recipes
- Chicken Paratha Rolls
- Anda Paratha
- Easy Spring Rolls
- Chicken Bread
- Jalapeno Chicken and Cheese Samosa
Paratha Recipe with Easy Dough Making Technique
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cups water
- 1 tbsp flour for sprinkling
- 4 tbsp olive oil or ghee for cooking
Instructions
Make Dough in the stand mixer
- Start kneading the dough. Add the first 4 ingredients of paratha to a stand mixer. Knead it until a soft dough forms. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest
Make Dough by hand
- In a bowl, add all-purpose flour, salt, and oil or butter. Rub it with your hands, then slowly add water and, with the help of a spatula, mix it. Slowly add water until all of your flour clumps into a ball. It will not be smooth at all. Apply some oil on the dough, cover, and let it rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.After 10 minutes, start kneading it with the help of your hands while applying a little bit of water, which will prevent the dough from sticking. Within 5 minutes, your dough will be smooth. Now cover and let it rest for another 10 minutes before rolling out the parathas.
Shape Parathas
- Now divide the dough into 4 sections. Working on one dough ball at a time, while keeping the rest of it covered with a plastic wrap, roll out the dough into a circle, apply a tsp of olive oil to each circle, and sprinkle some flour. Cut the circle from one end to make a slit. Now roll it into a cone. Then press it down to make a dough ball. Make all the dough balls before rolling and keep them covered with a plastic wrap. Take one dough ball at a time and roll out to a paratha.
- Heat a Tawa or a pan and cook the paratha from one side over medium heat. Once it becomes clear, then it's time to turn it over to cook from the other side. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil or ghee as you are cooking the paratha.
- Keep cooking until it’s golden from both sides. Make sure to cook over medium heat.
- Enjoy is with chai