by Aman Dosanj, Solo Stove Content Creator, of The Paisley Notebook
Baking is truly a science, especially when it comes to bread. Luckily, the smart people of India dreamed up a simple, healthy, and delicious flatbread with minimal science behind it: chapati roti.
From accompanying your scrambled eggs in the morning, smothering it in butter to take on the go, or being on dunking duty for Indian-inspired eats, there’s no rules to enjoying chapati roti as long as it’s delicious. This two-ingredient recipe has quickly become a handy campfire recipe to make when I’m out in nature on one of my “edible adventures.”
To make chapati roti over your camp stove, it’s all about maintaining a consistent temperature. Make sure you keep your fire at a steady roar by feeding it with twigs or broken pieces of dried wood you find near you. If you need a speedy pop of heat, a few extra dried leaves will do the trick.
Let me guide you through your journey with fire and chapati roti.
Chapati Roti
(makes 4)
Notes:
- The dough can be prepared ahead of time and placed in your camp kit. Make sure to wrap the dough in an airtight container. Prepared dough will last 1-2 days in your fridge or cooler.
- It’s important to make sure you have enough sticks and twigs handy to keep your fire at a medium-high heat. In between each loaf, build up your supply with twigs, kindling, and a few thicker pieces of dry wood.
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic whole-wheat flour, plus extra for dusting. You may also use a mixture of 1.5 cups organic all-purpose flour and .5 cups heirloom flour such as red fife. (If you’re in western Canada like me, I like using Anita’s Organics or Gold Forest Grains)
- 200ml (.84 cups) water, lukewarm if possible.
Equipment
- Solo Stove® Campfire
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin (a glass bottle or stick also works if you are making it on the go)
- Cutting board
Instructions
- Place flour in the bowl and make a well.
- Add water a little at a time while mixing until the mixture starts to thicken. Stop adding water once you can form the dough into a ball.
- Knead dough for 2 minutes until smooth. If the dough feels too sticky, add a drizzle of olive oil and knead for another 30 seconds.
- Cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes while you light the fire in your camp stove.
- Heat a flat skillet or frying pan over a medium-high flame. Make sure you keep adding dry branches to maintain a consistent temperature.
- Unwrap your dough and knead once or twice. It should feel smooth and soft.
- Divide into four balls, flatten them in your palm, and dust them with flour.
- Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour, roll each dough ball into a thin circle.
- Dust off excess flour and place on your heated skillet.
- Cook for one minute or until the roti starts to brown. Flip roti.
- Cook the other side of the roti for one minute and flip again. Your roti should start to form brown spots (similar to a tortilla).
- Sometimes, your roti will puff full of air. That’s okay, it’s fun to spin it! You can flatten with a paper towel.
- Remove roti and repeat for the remaining three dough balls.
- Enjoy with hummus or by itself with a little butter!
Cheers to your edible adventure ahead!
Meet Aman of The Paisley Notebook
Food geek, adventurer, marketing geek, Slow Food Member, writer, middle child, former England and Arsenal footballer (soccer), people watcher, BSc Business Graduate, Virgo, planner, imperfect environmentalist, storyteller, and just weird enough to be interesting. The former Poppadoms owner and Western Living Magazine ”Foodie of the Year,” organizes pop-up dinners and collaborative events across the Okanagan aimed at bringing the community together in unexpected places. Along with being listed as one of the “country’s next star chefs” by The Globe & Mail 2020, winner of the ”Culinary Tourism Experience” category at the 2018 Canadian Tourism Awards, and a two-time gold winner for the Food Day Canada ”Good Food Innovation” Award in 2018 and 2019, Aman has raised over $60k for local charities since 2017. The Paisley Notebook has launched a set of small-batch spice blends, which not only makes Indian flavours less intimidating and more fun, but also donates a percentage of sales to anti-racism organizations. Check out paisleynotebook.com for a little extra inspiration.