Bhatura

Bhatura is a fluffy, puffed and deep fried Indian bread that is famously served with golden brown chickpea curry (Punjabi Chole) in India. It is mainly made from flour maida (purpose flour), curd et al. But, getting the bhatura dough right is an art. And, it is best tried at home. So, here’s how to make this north indian recipe for authentic Bhatura. Serve it with Punjabi chole and have a hearty meal!

You are from India or from the abroad, chances are high that you must have tasted or at least heard about chole bhature on various occasions. Because this North Indian combination of spicy, chickpea curry and leavened bread is legendary. And especially relevant is mentioning Bhatura as its taste and texture are so outstanding.

How to make Bhatura?

– Firstly, you need to get all the ingredients like flour, curd, oil, salt, baking soda, baking powder et al and knead them well.
– Once you have kneaded the dough, keep it in a warm place or cover the cloth on it for 2-3 hours or for best result overnight so that it ferments and doubles up.
– Later on, we roll the bhatura and then fry them in hot oil until they puff up and becomes golden brown.

How to make Bhatura Dough?

• Many people like to use yeast while making this bread. However, my Bhatura recipe without Yeast works for me every time. I will share a recipe with yeast too soon.
• We mainly use all purpose flour (maida) and sooji (semolina) to make its dough. While all-purpose flour makes it soft, semolina gives it that subtle crunchy texture.
• The dough of the bhatura should be very very soft in consistency. The softer the dough, the fluffier the bhatura will be.
• Make sure to knead the dough for a good 6-8 minutes. if using stand mixer to make the dough, mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes.
• Fermentation of the dough is very important for its puffiness, hence curd and a small amount of sugar are added to the its dough. And that’s also a reason why a pinch of baking soda and baking powder are mixed in the dough.
• Bhatura recipe with eno and using wheat flour is also something that I am planning to share soon. Do keep an eye on the posts.

Bhatura Ingredients

Bhatura is made using all purpose flour or Maida. Do not try to replace Maida with any other flours otherwise it will become a poori and not Bhatura.

Using a little bit of fine semolina or sooji in the dough makes the bhatura crunchier. I recommend adding it in your dough mixture. Make sure to use fine sooji only.

Bhatura dough is fermented dough and I use curd or yeast to frement it. I have shared the recipe with curd as fermenting agent. Will share the recipe with yeast soon.

Adding a little bit of sugar helps in fastening the fermentation process and some salt for the flavour.

Some baking soda and baking powder helps in making the bhatura puffier.

Tips for making the best bhatura at home:

Add oil to its dough and knead well. If possible then use vegetable oil because it will give a great texture to it.

Once all the ingredients are mixed together, make sure you knead the dough for 6-8 minutes. This will bring the break the gluten and make the dough elastic.

Make sure to knead the dough to a very soft consistency. That is the tick to restaurant style fluffy bhatura.

Heat oil properly before you start frying Bhatura. Bhatura fried in less hot oil will not fluff and will become soggy.

Turns out to be an easy recipe, no? Try it out in your kitchen, fellas and let me know your experience. You can enjoy it with piping hot, masala loaded Chole, Aloo Sabzi, pickle and salad. See you with the recipe of authentic Chole super soon!

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How to make Bhatura Step by Step

Mix maida, sooji, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.

Add oil and curd and mix well.

Add water and mix to make a very soft dough.

Cover the dough and keep aside for 2-3 hours or for best result overnight until it doubles in size.

Knead the dough very well for 6-8 minutes until it is soft and smooth.

Divide the dough into 8-10 equal balls.

Take one dough ball and roll to make a round or oval bhatura. The edges of the bhatura should be a little thicker than the centre.

Heat oil for frying in a pan. Slide the bhatura in the hot oil and fry from both the sides until golden brown.

Keep pressing the bhatura with a perforated ladle.

Once done, remove the bhatura on a tissue lined plate.

Bhatura Recipe

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