Chapatti

Hello again..ever since I've bin on my gluten free diet the main thing I've had a problem with is..is finding a gluten free flour to make chapattis- one item of food we or most Asians have with our meals. I've never had a full normal meal at home or out because I can't eat chapattis which every meal is eaten with! So I make do without one which some people think is mad or have rice which one can only have so much of.

Is there anybody who has found gluten free flour to make chapattis with. I'd love to have a "normal Indian" meal again.

33 Replies

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farahziya

a month ago

This is one we have found really useful and works well. Just bear in mind it won't always get the bubble in normal roti's have, but it's still soft.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quality quinoa flour

• 1/2 cup or more warm water this varies according to your flour

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/8 tsp salt optional

• ghee or butter for brushing

• rice flour or other gluten-free flour to dust the work surface

Instructions

1.In advance, spread about 1/2 pound of quinoa flour evenly on parchment paper on a large baking sheet and bake at 215 °F for 3-4 hours. This will remove any bitterness from the flour.

2.In a medium bowl, combine the cup of flour, oil, and salt (if using). Add the warm water, a little at a time, while continuing to mix the flour with your hands. Make sure the liquid is well absorbed before adding more. Mix and knead until a soft and elastic dough forms. You do not need to knead this dough excessively as you would for traditional rotis. Cover and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes, up to an hour.

3.Heat a tava, griddle or non-stick (preferably cast iron) skillet to medium to medium-high heat, depending on your stove. You may need to lower the heat after you start making the rotis.

4.Flour your surface with preferred gluten-free flour. Form the dough into small balls (a bit larger than golf-ball sized), dust both sides with flour, and then use a rolling pin to roll them out into round circles about 6 inches in diameter. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to the rotis while rolling them out. Turn using a spatula and flour them as needed.

5.Using a large spatula, carefully lift the rolled out roti and place it on the skillet. Let it cook for about 30 seconds or until the bottom sets, then flip and smear it with a bit of oil or butter. Let this cook for 15-20 seconds then flip again, adding more oil or butter, if desired. With practice, this 3rd flip will result in the roti puffing up like normal rotis. Flip a couple more times, while pressing gently, until the roti is completely cooked. Clean the pan with a slightly damp tissue to get rid of excess flour. If you have a gas stove, you can try using the direct heat to let it puff up. Serve immediately.

It's called "Life-Changing Gluten-Free Quinoa Flour Roti" if you wanted to google it

1 like

LoisParker

a month ago

You can use the flour mix you can buy from Asian suppliers for making dhosa (urid lentils and rice). I use a 50/50 mix of urid and rice which I make myself. To make really good chappatti 40 urid, 40 tapioca and 20 rice will give good flexibility-I’ve suddenly stoped being able to handle tapioca so have stopped using this. If you want super flexible chappati, if you mix a little tapioca into cold water and cook to make a thick clear paste (it is called pre-gelatinised tapioca, you can see it on ingredient lists sometimes) and use that to mix flour you will get flexible dough, mix, leave a little while to absorb water then roll and make as usual. Remember to use your own rolling pin and pan to cook -you will be contaminated if you use the shared equipment.

If you want your chappati to look more like they are made from atta rather than white flour you can use the whole lentil with the dark skin, though it is a bit green, or add some buckwheat (which I also can’t eat) or other brown seed.

farahziya

in reply to dang

a month ago

SID123 is asking about alternative gluten free home made ideas not about processed food. Yes the processed gluten free alternatives can be full of additives, which makes sense as to what you're saying, however this isn't what the post was about.

Bread in itself as a modern day thing now lacks all the nutrients it used to have when originally made as the flour has been highly processed. Traditional bread used ground wheat and seeds and was hard, often used to soak up sauce / juices. It lasted ages as it had little moisture content. That sort of bread would still be good for us, but it just isn't made that way anymore.

Gluten is found in lots of foods when you start to have a look; basically anything containing wheat and barley. Even milled oats, puffed rice and grated cheese (for example) can have it in, crazy, it isn't even needed in those.....

Home made gluten free alternatives are a brilliant way to add extra nutrients to your diet; like coconut flour, chickpea flour, quinoa flour, oat flour and are fun to experiment if a little frustrating at times!

I'm not gluten intolerant; I can have wheat, I just have an upset / bloated stomach with certain things, so I choose to try and make alternatives; we all enjoy our food and there's nothing wrong with making something similar to what you miss

1 like

dang

in reply to farahziya

a month ago

Of course I understand they were asking about flour and not pre-made bread. I also mentioned some gluten free flours in my reply. And I totally get there is nothing wrong with making something similar to what you miss.

I was merely giving my point, for me holding on to old desires meant I had to constantly go out of my way to do make things gluten free, or find gluten free alternatives. Once I stopped aiming to substitute and just gave up on bread altogether my life became a lot easier and i also became in better shape too. Don’t get my wrong I still eat things like buckwheat pasta from time to time. But going through the hassle of making something i could once eat as “gluten free” is just something I left behind, just a personal opinion I’m well aware that 95% of people won’t make the choice I made.