Puri Bread Recipe

Puri is a deep-fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is often eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. It is usually served with a savoury curry or bhaji, as in puri bhaji, but may also be eaten with sweet dishes.

Indian restaurants now often offer this type of bread with a topping as a starter such as Prawn Puri or Chicken Chat Puri, you can think of this as an English version of beans on toast but far tastier.

Can be served as a side bread to accompany any main meal but is more recently offered as a starter with a topping of your choice.

Ingredients

225 grams of chapatti flour ( 50:50 mix of plain flour and wholemeal flour)
1 x teaspoon of salt
1 x teaspoon of pepper
Water
Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Method

Add the flour to a bowl plus the salt and pepper. Shift with your fingers and start adding the water little by little. You are after a soft dough and once achieved continue to knead the dough for a few minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep pan until it is hot but not smoking.

Take balls of dough about gold ball size and roll them between your hands. Once round use a rolling pin to a circle and between 1 & 2mm thick. It takes practice to get the dough into a circle so if you are struggling you can use a plate and place it on top and a knife to run around the edge to create that perfect circle.

Gently slide a Puri into the hot oil, quite quickly it will puff up, leave for approximately 10 seconds then turn over using tongs. Cook the other side. This should take 20 - 30 seconds per Puri.

Place on some kitchen roll paper to remove any excess oil and once cool you can store them in an air-tight container.
Repeat until all the dough is cooked.

These can then be reheated in a microwave just prior to serving and adding your topping.

Variations

There are many regional variations of puri bread in India, each with its own unique flavour and preparation method. Some popular variations include:

Bengali luchi: This variation of puri bread is a staple in Bengal and is made with a mixture of wheat flour and fine semolina.
Andhra kudumulu: This variation is common in Andhra Pradesh and is made with a mixture of rice flour, urad dal (black lentil) flour, and cumin seeds.
Gujarat naan kachori: This variation is popular in Gujarat and is made with a mixture of wheat flour, besan (chickpea flour), and spices.
Rajasthani baati: This variation is popular in Rajasthan and is made with a mixture of wheat flour, ghee, and spices.