Plain Pranthas

KRI October 2020 Recipe of the Month

Extract from “A Taste of India” Second Edition by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa



Ingredients of Plain Pranthas:

  • 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or chapati flour
  • ¼ cup ghee or butter for spreading
  • ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • ½ cup of water

To make the dough:

  1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour the water into the well gradually, mixing the flour into the water to form a soft dough. Mix until a compact mass of dough is formed.
  2. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth and pliable. Then put the dough back into a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

To make the pranthas:

  1. Knead the rested dough a few more times. Break off a piece of dough (about 1/4 of the whole) and roll it between your hands to make a small ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
  2. Place the dough ball on a lightly floured pastry board or other flat surface. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle about inches in diameter, 1/8 inch thick.
  3. Lightly spread ghee or butter on the raw circle, fold it in half, and then spread the upper surface with more butter or ghee. Fold it again, either in half or in thirds, and roll it into a ball again. Lightly flour dough ball, if necessary, and roll the dough out again into a circle about 5 inches in diameter, 1/8 inch thick.

To cook the pranthas:

  1. Carefully place a prantha onto a hot griddle or cast-iron frying pan. Cook until the top surface starts to form little bubbles, about 20 to 30 seconds. Immediately flip it over to brown on the other side, for about 8 to 10 seconds.
  2. When both sides are cooked, spread 1 teaspoon of ghee or butter on each side, and fry each side once more until golden brown. Serve hot.

Clean excess flour off griddle after cooking each prantha.

Yield: 4 pranthas