Bhatura Recipe (Quick Bhature)

Soft and fluffy Bhatura is a delicious fried bread widely enjoyed in Indian cuisine. This classic side dish comes in various forms but is usually made with a leavened dough of all-purpose flour, semolina, yogurt, water, salt, sugar and a leavening ingredient like baking soda, baking powder or yeast. Here, I present a simple, no-yeast instant and quick recipe for Bhature (plural), complete with step-by-step pictures and detailed instructions.

About Bhatura Recipe

A plate of warm, fluffy bhatura is a must-have whenever we indulge in our favorite Punjabi dishes like Chole Masala. This beloved combination, known as Chole Bhature, is incredibly popular. You’ll also find these crispy, golden fried breads at nearly every street food stall in India.

Bhatura is traditionally made with all-purpose flour. To make it crispy, some suji/rava (cream of wheat) is added together with yogurt for a slightly sour taste.

To achieve the signature puffiness of Bhature, a leavening agent is always used. This can be a natural fermenting agent like a sourdough starter, yeast or an instant rising agent such as baking soda or baking powder or fruit salt (eno) and even drinking soda (sparkling water).

In this post, I’m sharing a quick and easy method for making Bhatura without yeast. This instant recipe uses baking soda and baking powder to help the dough rise, along with yogurt for fermentation.

The dough requires just 2 hours to leaven, making the process much faster. The reaction between the baking soda, baking powder and yogurt (curd) results in a fried bread that is light, soft and beautifully puffed.

This recipe yields soft, fluffy and flavorful Bhature without any overly sour taste. After the 2-hour fermentation, you can roll and deep-fry the dough while preparing your favorite chickpea curry to pair with it.

The Bhatura is made with all-purpose flour (maida) and fine semolina (sooji or rava). I have also tried substituting semolina with rice flour, and both versions taste great. The rice flour variation remains softer even after cooling.

As mentioned earlier, baking soda, baking powder and yogurt serve as leavening agents. Adding both the baking soda and baking powder ensures that the bread does not have the typical soapy aroma which occurs if you only add baking soda and a metallic after-taste if you only add more of the baking powder.

How to make Bhatura

1. First sift the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour (maida)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

Once the above ingredients are sieved, add 7 tablespoons rava or fine sooji (semolina) and 1 tablespoon sugar in the same bowl.

Mix these dry ingredients evenly with a spoon

2. Add ½ cup yogurt (curd) and 2 tablespoons oil. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.

3. Add about ½ tablespoon water at a time. Mix and then knead to a smooth, supple and soft dough. Make sure the dough is not sticky.

You will need to add a total of 3 to 4 tablespoons water, or as required to get the right consistency and texture in the dough.

If it looks sticky, sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour and continue to knead. If the dough looks dry or floury, add little water and knead.

4. Cover the dough with a wet cotton napkin and set aside the dough to leaven for 30 to 45 minutes. You could even keep it for about 1 hour to 2 hours.

5. Before you begin rolling and frying, heat oil as needed for deep frying in a kadai (wok). Keep the heat to medium or medium-high.

Make medium-sized balls from the dough. Apply oil to the dough ball on both sides.

Using a rolling pin, roll into an oval or elongated shape ensuring that the edges are about 2 to 3 mm thick.

Remember to roll the dough evenly without making the edges thin. An unevenly rolled dough won’t puff up uniformly.

You could make either larger or medium-sized bhatura. If you choose to make larger bhature you will need to use bigger dough balls. However this will yield fewer bhature from the recipe.

6. Drop the rolled dough in hot oil and it will start puffing within a minute. Fry on medium to medium-high heat.

Use a slotted spoon for frying and gently nudge the rolled dough to help it puff evenly.

7. When the sizzling of the oil stops and the bhatura turns a light golden or golden, turn over and fry the other side.

8. When the second side is light golden or golden using a slotted spoon remove the bhatura. Place it on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Fry all Bhature this way in batches.

9. Serve Bhatura hot with Chana Masala or your favorite chickpea curry. Bhature tend to be chewy once cooled, so it is best to enjoy them while still hot.

Expert Tips

1. Using blend of flours: While all-purpose flour (maida) is traditionally used, adding a small portion of semolina (sooji) or rice flour can enhance the crispness while keeping the Bhatura soft inside.
2. Adding sugar: Some sugar enhances fermentation and gives the Bhatura a slight golden color when fried. It also balances flavors subtly.
3. Resting dough: To speed up fermentation, keep the dough in a warm spot (like inside a microwave or oven with the light on). This helps the baking soda and curd react better, making the Bhatura airy and fluffy.
4. Rolling Bhatura: When rolling, don’t apply too much pressure – gently roll to maintain air pockets. This helps the Bhatura puff up evenly when fried.
5. Frying Bhature: The oil should be medium-hot. If the oil is too hot, the Bhatura will brown quickly but remain raw inside; if too cold, they will absorb too much oil and turn greasy.
6. Additional flavors: Since Bhature is deep-fried, adding ¼ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds) or crushed fennel seeds makes them easier to digest while enhancing flavor.

FAQs

Bhatura recipe from the archives was first published on April 2013.