Tandoori Roti Breads

Today I will make indian tandoori roti breads. Tandoori roti is a flat and soft traditional Indian bread which is very little known in the West and which resembles naan bread. Much like naan bread, roast tandoori is shaped from a dough made from flour, water, yogurt, oil, baking powder, and salt. On the other hand, it is made mainly with durum wheat flour (atta) and it does not contain yeast or sourdough. It is therefore unleavened bread. Tandoori roti is a round or oblong bread that is baked vertically on the wall of a tandoor oven. It is also found in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Ingredients in cups for 6 tandoori roti breads

• 2 cups "Atta" durum wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. caraway, cumin or fennel seeds (optional)
• 1/2 cup Oikos 0% Greek yogurt at room temperature
• 4 tbsp. olive oil, clarified butter or melted butter
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water for blending
• 2 tbsp. olive oil for loosening the dough
• 1/4 cup "Atta" durum wheat flour for shaping

Ingredients in grams for 6 tandoori roti breads

• 280 g "Atta" durum wheat flour
• 70 g all-purpose flour
• 6 g salt
• 3 g baking powder
• 1 tsp. caraway, cumin or fennel seeds (optional)
• 118 g 0% Oïkos Greek yogurt at room temperature
• 42 g olive oil, clarified butter or melted butter
• 118 g lukewarm water for blending
• 2 tbsp. olive oil for loosening the dough
• 1/4 cup "Atta" durum wheat flour for shaping

Preparation

Place the rack in the third position of the upper part of the oven, place a pizza stone on it. Preheat the oven to 525°F for at least 30 minutes to ensure the stone is hot enough.

In a large bowl, place the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the ajwain seeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds. Mix well with fingers.

Mixing: Dig a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then add the yogurt and the oil and three quarters of the water. Start incorporating the flour into the water with your fingers, making circles around the edge of the well. Add the rest of the water a little at a time as needed until you obtain a semi-firm dough (stop adding more before the dough becomes sticky). Using a scraper, loosen the flour stuck to the inner wall of the bowl, then incorporate it into the dough.

Kneading: As soon as the dough is homogeneous, knead it firmly for 2 to 5 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Roll the dough into a ball.

Resting: Pour the oil into the bowl, then spread it over the entire inside surface using your fingers. Roll the ball of dough inside the bowl so that it is covered with oil. Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Put the durum wheat flour in a deep plate. Provide 2 large baking sheets to place the uncooked crusts on. Also provide a small rolling pin and several dry clothes to cover the sheets until cooking. Set everything aside on the work surface.

Dividing: Divide the dough into equal parts with your hands. Roll each part between the palms of your hands, flatten it into a patty by exerting pressure on each side, then put it back under the damp cloth in the bowl.

Shaping: Remove a piece of dough from the bowl, place it in the flour, turn it upside down, roll it on the side, then place it on the work surface. Using the rolling pin, roll out the patty into an oblong-shaped crust about 1/4-inch thick (if necessary, pass the crust through the flour plate on one side and the another to lightly flour it). Transfer the crust to a baking sheet and cover with a dry cloth. Do this for the other 5 pieces of dough. Do not stack the sheets on top of each other.

Place double blotting paper in the bottom of a large plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Provide a spray bottle filled with water as well as metal kitchen tongs or a heat-resistant rigid spatula and another double blotting paper to cover the breads once cooked. Set everything aside on the work surface near the oven.

Baking: Take a crust with one hand and spread it on the inside surface with the other hand. Pass the sheet from one hand to the other 2 or 3 times to remove the excess flour, then place it on the stone. Place one or more other layers on the stone (depending on the size of the stone) following the same procedure. Spray the sheets liberally (to give them a burst of steam) before closing the oven door. Bake for 4 or 6 minutes at 500 °F (260 °C), the time necessary for the breads to take on a nice colour.

Taking out of the oven: Immediately remove the loaves using the tongs or spatula, place them in the airtight container, cover them with the second blotting paper, then close the container.

Close the oven, restore the temperature to 525°F. Bake the other breads in the same way.

Airing in a closed environment: Let the loaves rest for at least 15 minutes to keep them soft and supple.

To transfer the still warm loaves to a Ziploc bag after cooling, place the loaves on a new large double blotting paper and cover them with another new double blotting paper, insert everything into the bag and put a glass near the opening to let the residual steam escape. Then, remove the blotting papers (dry them on the back of a chair) and the glass, then seal the bag tightly.