How to Prepare Chipati – Eastern African Chipati Recipe

East African Chapati is a beautiful, unleavened bread eaten in East Africa in countries like Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya. What I love about this bread is its sweetness, softness and it accompanies many dishes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour and a little more flour for kneading
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 11/4 cup water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and oil in a bowl and mix well. Gradually add water to form a soft, sticky dough.
2. Turn to the floured surface; knead for about 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put in a bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm place for about 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Rotate on a lightly floured surface; divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each piece into a circle. At this point, you can turn the dough into a circle to cook the chapatis. However, if you want a layered, well-flaky chapati, proceed with the other steps below.
4. Lightly coat the rolled Chapati with a little oil and rotate them as you would roll a rug. At this point it should be like a rope, then wrap the “rope-like” to form a coil, then pull the tip towards the middle of the loop, tuck it in with your index finger, and then cover it with a damp towel and leave rest for a few moments—10 to 15 minutes.
5. Spread flour on the work surface again and roll out each rolled dough about 1/8 thick (the mixture will shrink to about 1-2/4 inch over time).
6. Preheat the pan with a non-stick or heavy bottom. Put the Chapati in the pan and let it cook for a few seconds before stirring.
7. Coat the surface of the chapatis with a thin layer of oil. Once you start to see bubbles on top of the chapatis, please turn it on the other side and coat it with a thin layer of oil.
8. Continue to flip once or twice until you achieve the desired brown color. Serve hot or warm and enjoy with your favorite dish.