Preparation / Directions:
Mix flour, salt and cummin seeds in a bowl. Add water , a teaspoon at a time. After adding each teaspoon of water, mix dough thoroughly. Do this until all the water is added and the dough is no longer floury, that is the dough is mixed to a consistency of putty. Gently knead the dough for approx 10 minutes, this will make the dough consistent. Roll dough into a ball and sprinkle a little water over it. Leave dough to stand for 10 minutes.
Next shape the dough into several (approx 15) balls, each roughly the size of a golf ball. Make sure that each ball is smooth and has no creases in it. This is achieved by rubbing each ball gently between the palms in a circular motion. Next sprinkle flour over a flat wooden cutting board. Place a ball on the board and with a rolling pin, flatten the ball, running the rolling pin in a circular top, top-right, bottom-right, bottom, bottom-left, top-left motion. Roll the ball until it is about 2 millimeters thick and is shaped like a disc (don't worry too much about the disc shape - chances are you haven't got the shape right! it will still taste the same!).
Heat the tava or the heavy iron plate (see Utensils) on a high fire. To check if the tava is ready to cook on, sprinkle some flour on it, if it browns immadiately, it is ready for use. Slap the rolled dough onto the tava. With a tea towel (rolled int a ball), rotate the rolled dough continuously on the tava for a approx 1 minute. Flip the rolled dough over onto its other side and repeat the rotation for another minute. If all goes well, you will see the dough ballooning up. Please be careful at this stage, the pent up gas in the ballooned dough can burst and scald your hand. Once the dough has ballooned, the bread is cooked. Remove and repeat the process for the next ball.
Makes 15 Chapat
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