How To Make Poori (Puri, Indian Puffed Bread)

Poori (Puri) is an Indian fried puffed bread that is made using whole wheat flour. This unleavened bread is soft, fluffy, and crispy and is perfect to serve with Indian curries. Check out my easy recipe to make perfectly puffed-up non-oily poori every single time.

Here are some other Indian bread recipes that you might also like – Palak Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Bedmi Poori, Garlic Naan, or Masala Paratha.

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• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How To Make Poori
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About This Recipe

Poori (Puri) is a very popular Indian puffed bread made using whole wheat flour. It is made using unleavened dough which means that you don’t have to use anything like baking powder, baking soda, or yeast to work the dough.

It is one of the most popular bread in India and just like roti and paratha, it can be served any time of the day.

Since the puri dough is not leavened (fermented), you can make this bread quickly. A perfect poori is pale golden in color, non-oily, evenly puffed, soft, and pillowy from inside with a thin crispy layer on top, just right to scoop a rich creamy curry.

It can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with savory dishes like pickles, curries, dry sabji, or sweets like shrikhand, halwa, kheer, or aamras.

This puffed bread is made for all the special occasions, weddings, and festive meals in India and is served along with rich curries. Chole Puri, Puri Bhaji, or Aloo ki Sabji Poori is a weekend special meal in many Indian households.

It is also a great option to pack for school lunches and picnics. A lot of Indians carry a box full of fluffy puri and pickles while traveling. It keeps well at room temperature for 2-3 days and comes in handy while traveling.

Making perfect puri might look a little daunting at first, but trust me it is not. By keeping a few tips and tricks in mind, even a novice chef can make perfectly puffed round puri without much effort.

You can easily double or triple this recipe. You can also use a stand mixer or a food processor fitted with a dough hook to knead the dough instead of kneading it with your hands.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour – Poori is made using whole wheat flour, the same flour that is used to make chapati. Some people add a little all-purpose flour to the dough to make it crispier and whiter but I like to make it with only whole wheat flour.

Note – Try to get the whole wheat flour (chapati atta) from an Indian grocery store. The one you get at the regular American grocery stores is not the same and your poori might not turn out perfect.

Semolina – Fine semolina (sooji) is added to give a crispy texture to the puri. They also hold their shape for a longer time if semolina is added to the dough.

Oil – I mostly use rice bran oil or vegetable oil to fry the puri. You can fry them in canola oil or ghee as well.

Salt and Sugar – I add a little sugar to the puri dough as it caramelizes while frying giving the poori a lovely golden brown color. Salt is added to give them a little flavor.

Note – You can make poori using only whole wheat flour. Adding salt, sugar, and semolina is totally optional. I add these ingredients to take my poori recipe a notch higher.

How To Make Poori

Making puri is a very easy process if you keep a few tips and tricks in mind. It will take 45 minutes from start to finish and this recipe will yield you 14-16 poories which are good to serve 4 people.

Make The Dough

Mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 4 teaspoon fine semolina (sooji) in a large mixing bowl or a parat (a large, wide, and shallow Indian utensil).

Add water (approx ¾ cup) little by little and knead to make a stiff dough. The consistency of the dough is very important in making good puffed-up puri. It should be tighter than the regular roti dough. If it is not tight, the poori won’t puff up well and will absorb more oil.

Note – You can use a stand mixer or a food processor fitted with a dough attachment to knead the dough.

Cover the dough with a clean kitchen cloth and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Rolling the Poori

Knead the puri dough again for a minute until it is smooth and then divide it into 14-16 equal size pieces. Roll each piece to make a smooth ball and press it gently in between your palms.

Take one dough ball and apply 2-3 drops of oil over it. Roll it into a 4-inch circle using a rolling pin. The side of the circle should be slightly thinner than the center. Roll 3-4 balls and keep the rest covered with a kitchen cloth.

Note – Never use dry flour to roll the puri. It will burn in the oil while frying, become black, and stick to the next puri.

Note – Do not roll the puri too thin otherwise it will become hard after frying.

Tip – If you have trouble rolling out round puri, then roll the dough into a rough circle. Use a cookie cutter or any sharp 4-inch round object and cut the dough into a round using it.

Fry The Poori

Heat 4-5 cups of oil in a pan over high heat until the temperature of the oil is very high. We need very hot oil to fry the poories. If they are fried in less hot oil, they will not puff up perfectly and will also absorb more oil.

Note – To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small ball of dough into it. If it rises immediately, it means the oil is hot enough to fry the puri. If the ball does not rise immediately, then heat the oil for some more time.

If you have a candy thermometer, you can use it to measure the oil temperature. It should be 360-375 degrees F (180-190 degrees C).

Slide a rolled puri from the side of the pan gently in the hot oil and fry until it puffs up (10-15 seconds). Keep pressing gently with the back of a slotted spoon. Flip and fry from the other side as well until nicely browned (10-15 seconds).

Drain it on a plate lined with a paper towel. Fry all the rolled puri in the same manner.

Note – Once the rolled puries are fried, reduce the heat to low and roll another batch. Set the heat to high again and heat the oil well. Now fry the next batch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

This recipe I have shared with you today makes the classic puri, but you can do many variations with it. Some of them are

Beetroot Poori – Add some beetroot puree to the dough. This puree will give a nice pink color to it.

Palak Poori – Add palak or spinach puree and make a dough.

Luchi – Bengalis make puri using only maida or all-purpose flour and it is called Luchi.

Aloo Puri – In this version, boiled and mashed potatoes are added to the dough along with a few spices.

Methi Poori – Adding some freshly chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves to the dough gives a nice taste to it.

Namak Ajwain – Add some ajwain (carom seeds) and some salt to the dough and then make poori from it.

Masala – Add dry spice powders like dry mango powder, anardana powder (pomegranate powder), red chili powder, etc to make this delicious masala poori.

Serving Suggestions

Poori tastes best hot, right out from the oil and it can be served with any Indian curry or sabji like Batata Bhaji, Aloo Matar Curry, Dum Aloo, Kashmiri Dum Aloo, Bengali Aloo Dum, Bhandare Wale Aloo, Dahi Wale Aloo, Punjabi Chole, Amritsari Chole or Kala Chana Curry.  

Puri Aamras is a very popular combination and is very popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra. It also pairs well with sweet dishes like Kheer, Shrikhand, and Sooji Halwa.

During Navratri, on the 8th day, many people do Kanjak and serve Puri, Suji Ka Halwa, and Sookha Chana as Prashad.

In India, poori is a popular food to pack for traveling or for picnics as it stays good for a few days at room temperature.

Storage Suggestions

Poori keeps good at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just let them cool and store in an airtight container or wrap them in aluminum foil.

You can also refrigerate them for 4-5 days or freeze them for up to a month in an airtight container.

You can also make the puri dough and refrigerate it for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to a month. Just let it come to room temperature before using.

You can reheat the poori in a microwave (10-15 sec at. high) or in an air fryer (5-6 minutes at 160 degrees C, 320 degrees F).

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