Batura is a traditional North Indian Punjabi classic bread savored with Chola - together called as “Chola Batura”. This is a spongy deep fried bread is made with yogurt and yeast, made to ferment so that it gets that little sour taste from the yogurt which gives that classic favor and puffiness. Adding some flavor like nigella seeds, fennel seeds or ajwain seeds enhances the flavor of this bread.

Yeast is not traditionally added to the batura recipe. The addition of yeast is purely an invention when I used the recipe of Naan to make batura’s. They turned out phenomenal, fluffy and very texture full, so pleasing to the palates that they melted in the mouth. It also was not greasy like the tradional batura’s that did not contain yeast.

Serve it with any indian gravy vegetable dish or as the classic “Chola Batura” and it would be a sumptuous meal for the family.

Makes: 20 batura’s

Cooking Time: approximately 1 minute per batura

Preparation Time: 4 hours includes sitting time

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of hot water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons carom seeds/ajwain
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (Make sure its freshly bought store yeast and not an opened one)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• Oil for deep frying

Method

In a large bowl add the flour and butter. With your hands, blend the butter into the flour until it forms coarse crumbs. You can do this in a blender as well, but the rest if the procedure when worked with hands gives a better texture to the dough.

Stir water and yeast until yeast is completely dissolved. Now make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yogurt, salt, ajwain seeds and yeast mixture.

Knead into the flour and until the whole dough collects into a mass. It will be sticky.

Wipe your hands clean and oil them. Now knead the dough with the oiled hands until smooth and satiny adding additional flour if required, for about 10 minutes; till you get a satiny finish and texture to the dough.Do care not to add too much oil while kneading.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest until doubled in volume; about 4 hours.

Punch down the dough, knead for a minute and divide into 20 equal portions.

With a rolling pin, quickly roll out each ball into a 5-7 inch round.

Heat oil in a frying pan/ deep fryer. Adding enough oil such that the rolled bread can get immersed in the oil to get fried.

When the oil is hot and ready about 190C, gently slip 1 bread into the oil. Fry the bread, turning once until puffed, cooked and lightly browned. Using a slotted spatula/spoon drain the bread and transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve immediately with a vegetable gravy of your choice or tha plain old classic “Chola Batura”

Filed under: Indian Breads

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