Bhatura recipe with step by step photos – Bhatura or Bhature is one of the most popular punjabi recipe. Bhatura are thick leavened fried Indian bread. Bhatura are often eaten with chole (chickpeas) and this combination of chole bhature is very tasty as well as popular all over india.
I wanted to post and share this great Bhatura recipe from a long time and finally, I am able to do it today. I made these for the first time on hubby’s birthday.
Though I have cooked chana masala many times, it was always with pooris. This time I wanted to make bhatura. I know from examples of my friends that bhatura is not so easy to make and it does not rise or puff up while frying.
I checked on the internet and there were many recipes for bhatura – with yeast, without yeast, with eno and so on. The list is endless. Finally, I decided to adapt this recipe, from a book which has tested and tried recipes from the world of Iskcon – “The Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking” by Adiraja dasa
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When I fried the bhatura in oil, they not only puffed up but they puffed up really well – like the way the bhatura actually has to puff up. Also, they were soft from inside and crisp from outside.
I later made this awesome bhatura again. Again, this bhatura recipe did not fail me this time. The bhature turned out great again.
The other good point of this bhatura recipe is that it uses less of all purpose flour (maida)/refined white flour and more of whole wheat flour (atta). The ratio of all purpose flour to whole wheat flour used in this recipe is approx 1:3 respectively. Some of the other bhatura recipes are made of only maida or refined flour.
Also, this bhatura recipe is made without yeast. For the leavening of the flour, curd and baking powder or baking soda is used.
The rolling and frying of the bhatura takes around 20-30 minutes. But the leavening of the flour, takes 8 hours (overnight) plus 2 hours. I made the bhatura with Amritsari Chole.
The old pics have been updated with new pics, since I always end up making bhatura this way to go with chole on festive or special occasions. I guess I love fermented foods and hence always go for this tried and tested bhatura recipe.
If you are looking for more popular punjabi recipes then do check:
Bhatura Recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR Bhatura Recipe
main ingredients for bhatura recipe
- 2.5 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee or butter
- ⅓ or ½ cup warm water
- vegetable oil for deep frying
for overnight fermentation of bhatura dough
- ¾ cup plain curd (yogurt or dahi or cashew curd), 150 ml curd
- ½ tablespoon sugar or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (alternative is - use ¼ teaspoon baking soda)
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (maida)
- ¼ cup water (optional)
HOW TO MAKE Bhatura Recipe
Preparation for Bhatura Recipe
- You will have to start the night before.
- In a bowl take the yoghurt, sugar, baking powder and all purpose flour.
- Mix well all the above 4 ingredients mentioned for overnight fermentation.
- If the yogurt has whey in it, then don't need to add the 1/4 cup water mentioned above.
- If the yogurt is thick, then to thin the batter, add 1/4 cup water.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and set it aside in a warm place overnight or for 8 hours to allow natural fermentation to take place.
- The next day you will see tiny bubbles on the surface of the mixture. The mixture is ready for the next step when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.
Kneading dough for bhature recipe
- In another bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour (atta) with salt and rub the ghee or butter into it with your fingertips.
- Into this bowl, add the fermenting mixture and the warm water.
- Form a dough with these two mixtures.
- Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is silky smooth.
- Add a little flour if it is too wet. Gather the dough into a compact ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Again set it aside in a warm place for 2 hrs.
- This is how the bhatura dough appears after 2 hours.
- Knead the dough again.
- Form it in to 15 balls and roll them into 5-6 inch discs.
Making Bhature
- Heat oil or ghee and deep fry the bhatura in the same way as you would fry pooris.
- The bhatura will take a bit longer to fry than pooris. Fry bhature till golden.
- Drain the bhatura on kitchen paper napkins to remove the excess oil.
- Continue to fry each bhature this way.
- Serve the bhatura hot with chole and wedges of lemon and sliced onions.
Preparation to make Bhature or Bhatura Recipe
1. You will have to start the night before. In a bowl take the yogurt (dahi or curd), sugar, baking powder and all purpose flour (maida). Mix well all the above 4 ingredients.
2. Cover the bowl with a cloth or lid and set it aside in a warm place overnight or for 8 hours to allow natural fermentation to take place. The next day you will see tiny bubbles on the surface of the mixture. I stirred the mixture and so the bubbles cannot be seen in this pic.
Making Bhatura Dough
3. In another bowl, mix together the wheat flour with salt and rub the oil or ghee or butter into it with your fingertips.
4. Into this bowl, add the fermented mixture and the warm water.
5. Mix everything well.
6. Knead into a dough for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is silky smooth. Add a little flour if it is too wet.
7. Gather the dough into a compact ball and cover it with a damp cloth. Again set it aside in a warm place for 2 hrs. This is how the bhatura dough appears after 2 hours.
Making Bhatura
8. Knead the dough again. Form it into 12-15 balls.
9. Roll each into 4-5 inch discs.
10. Heat oil or ghee and deep fry the bhatura in the same way as you would fry pooris.
11. Fry bhature till golden. The bhatura will take a bit longer to fry than poori.
12. Drain the bhatura on kitchen paper napkins to remove the excess oil.
13. Continue to fry each bhatura this way.
14. Serve the bhatura hot with Chana Masala or Amritsari chole or Aloo Chole. Also serve wedges of lemon and sliced onions along with the chole.
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Would you please move next door to me, and, can I come over for dinner a few nights a week?
Thanks Joan for this sweet comment.
Thanks for the recipe Dassana. This is my go to website for all veg recipes. It free from unnecessary ingredients and have a home made taste to it. Keep it up.
Thanks Farhat for your positive feedback.
Following all the steps above Can I prepare the dough in the afternoon and make bhaturas later in the evening for dinner? As in can it be left for more then 2 hours after kneading or should I refrigerate? Plus I didn’t get bubbles after leaving yogurt mixture for more then 24 hours can I still use it r throw it away?
farhat, after 2 hours of leavening, keep in the fridge. if you keep the dough outside, it will become sour. you should get bubbles. 24 hours is a long time. i suspect the mixture must have gone rancid. do not use this mixture. also make sure the baking powder is fresh and within its expiry date.
Awesome it turned out…..I have never made such beautiful bhaturas in life … thank you
Welcome ANJANA. Glad to know that Bhatura turned out well.
Hi Dassana! It’s been long since I wanted to thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes. I am following since last year and trust me my cooking is enhanced. Whether it is banana muffins or daal makhani for examples….the dishes came out so delicious. I must tell you that I tried smoke trick with mixed panchmel daal as well and it was par expectations at home by all.
My next try is definitely bhatura and then malai kofta.
I love your recipes because ingredients are always available at home.
Thanks a ton again and always!😃
Welcome Prachi. Glad to know that recipes are helping you in cooking tasty dishes at home. Loved reading your positive comment. Happy cooking.
I made it today and it turned out so well. 👌🏻Husband loved it. He is a typical North Indian Chloe bhature fan so am really glad he enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the recipe. 😀
Welcome Jyoti. Glad to know this. Do try some more recipes.
hi dassana..made yesterday.bt my bhatura came out crisp rather than soft n chewy…
farah, wondering what must have gone wrong. i guess either the dough was not kneaded well and this must have made the bhatura chewy. or could be the baking soda is the culprit. it should be fresh and not near expiry. also fry in hot oil. if the oil temperature is low, then the bahtura does not puff up. they become crisp. i hope next time when you try the recipe, it comes out well.
sir you have written that 1 cup or ½ cup in many recipes. I want to know what is the quantity of the cup ?
raghav, 1 cup has the capacity of 250 ml and 1/2 cup is 125 ml. but do note that 1 cup flour is 250 grams flour. when 1 cup atta is measured on a weighing scale, it weighs 120 to 125 grams.
Hello,
Love you website. Thanks to you I can cook Indian food for my husband . Is it possible to stuff these bhaturas with paneer?
Welcome Vanessa. Yes you can.
I have tried mostly all the receipes.they are truly lovely.it does nt get anywhere wrong. Just love it…..thank u for making life simpler dassanna
welcome meryl. glad to know that i could help.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe blog.i was going through a few reviews.i realised I over fermented the dough and hence it tasted sour.should have refrigerated it.secondly the bhatura did puff up but didn’t stay in that state after I pulled it out from oil.i had taken 3 cups of flour one cup maidan one cup dahi and enough as soda
Eno as soda.
fine. eno can be used.
sharada, this could be due to over fermentation. thats why the did not remain puffed up after removing from oil. fermentation depends on the temperature. so in a hot and warm climate, fermentation will be faster and in a cold climate, it will be slower.