Bhakhri

Bhakhri for Gujrati is a thick wheat based bread. It is soft from inside and crispy from outside. Bhakhri for Marathis is Rotla for Gujratis.

This dish that I am going to show you in a minute is from Gujrat region and very famous in Gujrati houses during dinner along with some watery vegetable (rassa walu saak). Also tastes great with jaggary and ghee.

It has very little water so can be made in advance for travel or picnics and can be enjoyed safely for 2-3 days.

It does take little effort in making. Specially requires strong shoulders. Once you taste it, you will know it is all worth it. My husband loves it and I make it for him once a while just because it has lot of oil and ghee.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour: 2cups
Rava/ semolina: 1/2 cup
Oil: 3-4 table spoon (more oil you put great taste it will have)
Salt to taste

Ghee/ clarified butter for cooking

Preparation:
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add oil. Mix oil in the flour.
Add few drops of water and keep mixing until all the flour is wet and mixed well.
The dough should be medium hard and little soft to feel. As there is very little water dough will have lots of crack in it.
Massage, beat the dough for 5-6 minutes till all the cracks are gone and dough has smooth texture.
Divide dough into golf ball sized ball.
Keep each ball on hard surface and rotate it using palm and make a round ball and then press it.

At this point it will create some cracks on the edge. Use index finger and thumb and press the edge as shown in photo.

Do this for each ball and keep them ready to roll.
Roll out each ball into palm sized thick roti. Roll each ball out and keep them ready to be cooked. Some people depress bhakhri surface using finger tips but I didn't care to do that.
Heat the pan. Let it get hot but keep low-medium heat. As bhakhri is thick we will be cooking it in low flame else it will get cooked fast from surface but remain uncooked from inside.

Flip on to other side and apply little ghee.
Allow second side to cook and flip over again and apply little ghee.

At this point we will press the surface of bhakhri, this will really get the bhakhri cooking and get more crispy.

Use wooden datto we call it in Gujrati. If you do not have this you can take a thick kitchen towel and fold it into layers and press bhakhri with it.

The trick is to press and rotate. Ghee on the surface will allow bhakhri to rotate. Flip over and press the second side.
Cook it until you see nice pinkish brown design on both the sides. If bhakhri turns brown quickly low the heat even more.

Cook all the remaining bhakhri. Enjoy with sabji of your choice or try with ghee and jaggary, this will satisfy your sweet tooth :). You can enjoy this with tea in your breakfast or have one bhakhri as a snack. It is good any time :).