Bread kulcha – Indian Flatbread
Kulcha bread along with Punjabi chole and onion pickle was the dinner last night. You can imagine a Punjabi family when eating dinner of kulcha, chole; it instantly multiplies the happiness.
Ignoring the chole part, I will be sharing the recipe of bread kulcha today. These baked kulchas reminded me of mom’s house in Amritsar.
To start I must say these kulchas are easy to make, I used Kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) coriander seeds, cumin and chilly powder to flavour the kulchas. Feel free to use flavours of your choice. You can also stuff the kulchas with potato or paneer stuffing.
As these are bread kulchas, I would like you to go through these – BREAD BASICS
HOW TO MAKE BREAD – BEGINNERS RECIPE and ….. as these will help you understand the bread and its do’s and don’ts.
Some points to read before you start with the recipe:
If using bluebird dry yeast – In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1 cup lukewarm water, add in few grains of sugar. Stir with a spoon, cover and keep aside for 5 minutes, until it becomes slightly frothy.
If you are using instant dry yeast – you can skip this step and can add the yeast along with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.
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Never add all the liquid (milk or water) in the flour at one go. Because every flour has a different absorbency level. Go by your judgement and see if you require more or less liquid. When finished, the dough should be completely smooth and elastic slightly tacky to the touch.
You can very well hand-knead the dough, or use a machine to knead. but it’s easy to add too much flour during this process especially kneading with hands. Avoid adding in extra flour because this will result in a somewhat tougher bread. Have patience, the dough will come together.
The oven time also depends on the size of your kulcha. The bigger size kulcha might take a little long time. Basically when your house starts to smell fresh-baked bread scent and the kulchas starts to get golden colour around the edges, it’s done.
Flatbread/Bread kulcha
Ingredients
2 cups of maida
2 to 3 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of instant active dry yeast https://amzn.to/3xgDh6T
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ tablespoon of salt
3/4th cup of half water, half milk
Dry fenugreek leaves, coriander seeds, cumin, chilli powder to sprinkle
Method
In a bowl add the maida, salt, sugar, instant active dry yeast along with oil. Add little by little milk/water to the mix and start kneading the dough. Grease your hands with some oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Lift, knead and flip the dough on a flat surface until smooth and soft.
By kneading I mean pushing the dough away from you and folding it back on itself towards you. Repeat this process for at least 10 minutes, you’ll feel the dough getting progressively more elastic and soft. Once this is done, shape it into a ball.
Grease a huge bowl with some oil, place the ball in this – cover with a fitting lid + tea towel and keep in the warmest area of your kitchen. You need to give the dough 1-2 hours for it to double in size.
Punch the dough and knead the dough again. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 equal parts. Take one lump, dust with dry flour and roll it using a rolling pin or by hands. Now sprinkle 1/2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves, coriander seeds, cumin and chilly over the kulcha and press it gently with your hand.
You can size the kulcha as desired. Place the kulcha over a baking tray. Cover the tray and keep it aside for 1/2 hour for the second rise.
Preheat oven at 180*C and bake the kulcha for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the kulchas hot with chole, chutney or pickle. Have a good time with your family. https://amzn.to/35bNF3U
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