Indian bread facts for kids
Indian breads are a huge group of delicious flatbreads and crêpes that are a key part of Indian cuisine. Just like India has many different cultures, it also has many different kinds of breads!
Contents
What Indian Breads Are Made Of
Most flatbreads from northern India are made without yeast. They use milled flour, usually a special kind called atta or a finer one called maida, mixed with water. Some flatbreads, like paratha, might have yummy vegetable fillings and layers of ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter.
In places like Maharashtra and Karnataka, breads are also made from other grains. These include jowar (a type of sorghum), ragi (finger millet), and bajra (pearl millet). In Gujarat, these are called "rotla," and in Maharashtra, they are called "bhakri."
In southern India and along the West Coast, many pancake-like breads are made from black lentils (urad dal) and rice. Famous examples are dosa, appam, and uttapam. You can also find flatbreads made from rice and ragi flour.
Many Indian breads use natural yeast from the air to help them rise a little.
How Indian Breads Are Made
In northern India, cooks make a dough from flour and water. Then, they roll it flat. Most Indian breads, like roti, kulcha, and chapati, are cooked on a tava. This is a flat griddle made of iron, steel, or aluminum. Other breads, such as puri and bhatura, are deep-fried in oil. The dough for these fried breads usually has less water so it doesn't soak up too much oil.
In Southern India, people make a thin batter from rice and black lentils. They pour a small amount onto a hot, oiled skillet. They spread it into a thin circle and fry it with oil or ghee until it's golden brown.
In Western India (like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan), breads can be made from coarse grains like bajra, sorghum, or ragi, though wheat is also very common. The grains are ground into a fine powder and mixed with a little water to make a smooth dough. This dough is then patted into a circle by hand.
Maharashtra also has a special multi-grain flatbread called "thalipeeth." It uses many grains like wheat, rice, bajra, jowar, and different kinds of beans. Each grain is roasted and then ground into a powder. Spices and chopped onions are added to the dough. It's patted into circles and cooked on a griddle with ghee or oil. It's often served with fresh homemade butter.
Some Indian breads, like naan and tandoori roti, came from Central Asia. These are baked in a special clay oven called a tandoor. Naan often uses yeast to make it fluffy.
Different Types of Indian Breads
India has many different kinds of breads and pancakes. Some popular ones include Chapati, Puri, Roti, Paratha, Naan, Dosa, and Puran Poli. Some varieties depend on the type of grain used, while others are known for their delicious fillings.
- Appam – A South Indian pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk.
- Baati – A hard, unleavened bread from the desert areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
- Bhakri – A round, flat, unleavened bread often made from sorghum or Pearl millet. It's common in Maharashtra and other parts of western and central India.
- Bhatoora – A fluffy, deep-fried, leavened bread from North India.
- Chapati – A very common unleavened flatbread (also called roti) baked on a hot surface. It's a daily staple food in India.
- Dosa – A fermented crêpe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It's a main dish in South Indian states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Masala dosa – A dosa filled with fried potato, spices, and onions.
- Neer dosa – A light crêpe made from rice batter.
- Idli – A soft, steamed cake made from rice and fermented black lentil batter.
- Kachori – An unleavened, deep-fried bread often filled with lentils.
- Khakhra – Thin, crispy crackers made from mat bean, wheat flour, and oil.
- Kulcha – A leavened bread eaten in India and Pakistan, made from maida flour (wheat flour).
- Luchi – A deep-fried flatbread from Bengal, similar to Puri but made with maida flour.
- Naan – A fluffy, oven-baked, leavened flatbread.
- Keema naan – Naan stuffed with minced meat.
- Papadum – A thin, crisp, disc-shaped Indian food, usually made from seasoned black gram flour, then fried or cooked.
- Paratha – A layered or stuffed flatbread from North India, traditionally made from whole wheat flour and cooked with oil on a hot surface.
- Aloo paratha – Paratha stuffed with spiced potatoes.
- Gobhi paratha – Paratha stuffed with spiced cauliflower.
- Porotta – A layered flatbread popular in Kerala and parts of Southern India.
- Pitha/Pithe – A type of cake or bread common in Bengal, Assam, and Orissa, often made from fermented rice batter.
- Poli/Puran Poli – A traditional sweet flatbread.
- Puri – A popular unleavened, deep-fried bread.
- Roti – The most simple and common of all Indian breads, often used interchangeably with Chapati.
- Rumali Roti – A very thin roti, almost like a handkerchief ("rumal" means handkerchief).
- Sanna – A spongy rice cake from Goa, made from fermented or unfermented rice batter.
- Tandoori Roti – A roti baked in a clay oven called a tandoor. It's usually thicker than a regular roti.
- Thalipeeth – A savory multi-grain pancake popular in Maharashtra.
- Utthapam – A dosa-like dish where ingredients are cooked into a thick batter.
- Litti – A dough ball made from whole wheat flour and stuffed with sattu (roasted chickpea flour) mixed with herbs and spices. It's roasted and served with ghee. Popular in Bihar and Jharkhand.
- Thepla – A Gujarati chapati made with whole wheat flour and flavored with fenugreek leaves and spices.
Gallery
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Kulchas with choley
See also
In Spanish: Pan indio para niños
