This Kenyan chapati recipe was taught to me by a Kenyan chef on a recent trip to Africa. I love my 2 ingredient roti but this flatbread feels like the more luxurious sister recipe to my roti. This Kenyan flatbread is still simple to make but the addition of a few extra ingredients and a layering technique makes it soft, flaky, and absolutely delicious.
Just 5 ingredients (including water)
Stays soft & pliable
Full of flavour
And simple to make
What Is Kenyan Chapati?
Mayuri Patel has a great blog post to accompany her authentic Kenyan chapati recipe. She explains that Kenyan chapati is different from Indian chapati and more similar to the layered Indian parathas.
Typically, Indian roti and parathas are made with whole wheat flour while Kenyan chapati are made with all-purpose flour (or maida flour). The addition of salt, sugar, and oil make Kenyan chapati super soft and pliable and very flavourful.
The dough is rolled and then flattened so that layers are created. The addition of a fat source (the oil) ensures that the end result is a flatbread that flakes with a visible separation between soft layers. Sugar also helps to create separation between these layers, maintaining a soft dough that rises as it cooks and browns nicely.
Ingredients For This Kenyan Chapati Recipe
There are just 5 simple ingredients needed for this Kenyan chapati recipe:
- Warm water (boiled and cooled to a comfortable bath water temperature)
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- And all-purpose flour (or maida flour)
The warm water allows the sugar and salt to dissolve and evenly disperse through the entire dough. It also aids in the gluten formation for the dough. The water should be warm enough that the sugar and salt can dissolve but not so hot that you can't comfortably stir the flour and water with your hand.
I have tried decreasing the amount of sugar and salt used. However, I really noticed a difference in how soft the chapati were. You could potentially decrease the salt by just a bit, but you will notice a difference in how flavourful the chapati are.
Likewise, I have tried to decrease the amount of oil used in the dough. The oil however, is crucial to creating soft and flaky layers. You could potentially omit the extra oil used while cooking the chapati but they will not stay as soft for as long.
If you would prefer to make a simple flatbread that is oil and sugar free then definitely look at my 2 ingredient roti recipe. This recipe uses just whole wheat flour and water to create a tasty flatbread. It does not stay soft for nearly as long as this chapati recipe and is not as flavourful but it is still a fantastic accompaniment to a curry or stew!
Making The Dough
This Kenyan chapati recipe is quite simple to make but an added step is what creates the layered texture.
- In a large heatproof bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm water.
- Add the vegetable oil.
- Next, add the flour and immediately stir with your hand to bring the dough together.
- Knead the dough in the bowl for 3-5 minutes until it is no longer sticky. If the dough is too sticky add just a bit more flour. I tend to add an extra ½ tablespoon only. The finished dough should be soft and pliable.
- Allow the dough to rest, covered for 10 minutes.
Next, is the added step to layer the dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a large rectangular shape (kind of like a large pizza dough).
- Spread just 1 teaspoon of oil evenly over the dough.
- Slice the dough lengthwise into 10-12 even slices, about 1.5 inches wide.
- Roll each of the slices up into a spiralled ball of dough (like you are rolling a cinnamon bun). To secure the spiral, take the end of the dough and poke it through the centre of the spiral. Flip the spiralled dough over, place it on your work surface, and press it lightly with your palm to flatten it slightly.
- Continue spiralling all of the strips of dough.
Allow the dough to rest for another 10 minutes and then proceed to cooking the chapati.
How To Cook Kenyan Chapati
Once you are ready to roll and cook your chapati, heat your pan.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium low heat.
- The pan should be hot enough that the chapati will cook in 1-2 minutes on each side. However, it should not be so hot that the chapati burns.
- If the heat is too low and the chapati takes too long to cook it will dry out and be closer to the texture of a cracker instead of being really soft and pliable.
- If the heat is too high then the chapati will blacken in spots instead of turning a nice golden brown.
Roll the chapati flat.
- Working with one spiralled ball of dough at a time, flour your work surface and rest the dough in the centre of the prepared area.
- Flatten the dough with your palm, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle at least 8 inches in diameter.
- Keep extra flour nearby so that if the dough is sticking you can stop, add extra flour under the chapati, flip the chapati to the other side, and continue rolling it flat.
Cook the chapati
- Lay the circular chapati dough onto the hot frying pan and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- When the dough has puffed up in spots and cooked through, flip the chapati to the other side. The first side should be nicely browned in spots.
- Spin the dough, pressing down lightly with your hand or a spatula, to distribute the heat and encourage the dough to steam and puff up. Cook on this second side for another minute or so until it too is lightly browned.
- Spread a little bit of oil over the chapati (about ½ tsp) and flip it back onto the first side.
- Add some oil to the second side and flip the chapati again.
- After another few seconds the chapati should be nicely browned on both sides and can be removed from the heat.
How To Serve Chapati
This Kenyan chapati recipe stays super soft for quite awhile but it is best served warm. To keep it warm until serving, you can wrap the chapati in a clean kitchen towel. This chapati pairs perfectly with my Kenyan githeri recipe but is the perfect side dish for any curry or stew you love.
Refrigerate leftover chapati in an airtight container or bag and reheat it on a warm pan for a few seconds. It should get soft and pliable again as it warms up.
Check out my other Kenyan recipes that I learned to make from Chef William on our trip. You can have a great Kenyan feast with friends or family and enjoy my ugali, sukuma wiki, githeri, and chapati!
Recipe Cost
Even though this Kenyan chapati recipe has more ingredients than my 2 ingredient roti, it is still quite thrifty.
This recipe makes 10-12 chapati and costs me $1.95 Canadian. If I were to order a side of chapati from a restaurant I could expect to pay $3 to $5 for 2 to 4 pieces.
Let me know in the comments below if you make this Kenyan chapati recipe and how much you love it! Remember to tell me what you enjoyed it with too!
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Kenyan Chapati Recipe - Soft & Flaky!
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A Kenyan chapati recipe for super soft and flaky layered chapati. Tons of flavour, simple to make and only 5 ingredients (including water)!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup warm water, boiled and cooled
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon (plus more for cooking the chapati)
- 4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled (500 g, plus more for rolling)
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Start with water that is about bath water temperature. You want it to be warm enough to dissolve the sugar and salt but not too hot for you to comfortably touch.
- Add the warm water to a large heatproof bowl and stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved.
- Pour ¼ cup vegetable oil into the water and stir.
- Add the flour and stir right away with your hand to mix the flour with the water. It’s important to not have the flour sitting in the water for too long before you stir to incorporate it. You don’t want the flour to clump.
- Once a dough forms, knead the dough in the bowl for 3-5 minutes until it is smooth, pliable, and no longer sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour a little at a time. I tend to add an extra ½ tablespoon only.
- Place the ball of dough on a clean countertop and use the bowl to cover the dough and keep it warm to rest for 10 minutes.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll the dough out to a large rectangle about 18 x 15 inches (about the size of a large rectangular pizza).
- Drizzle the 1 teaspoon of oil all over the dough and spread it with the back of a spoon or clean fingers.
- Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough lengthwise into 10-12 even strips about 1.5 inches wide.
- Roll each strip up like you are rolling a cinnamon bun. Take the end of the strip and poke it through the centre of the spiralled dough to secure it. Flip the spiralled dough over, place it on the countertop, and press lightly on the top of the dough with your palm to flatten it slightly. Continue with the rest of the strips of dough and allow them to rest for another 5 minutes before moving on to roll out the chapati.
- When you are ready to roll and cook the chapati, heat a large frying pan over medium low heat. You want the pan to be hot enough that you can feel the heat if you hold your hand safely above the pan but it shouldn’t be too hot that the chapati will burn right away. If the pan is not hot enough and it takes longer than a minute or so for the chapati to cook on each side then the chapati will dry out and will not be soft and pliable. If the pan is too hot you will notice spots blackening as it cooks instead of spots of golden brown.
- While the pan is heating up, lightly flour your work surface again. Place one ball of spiralled dough in the centre of your work surface, pat it flat with your palm, and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a flat and circular chapati at least 8 inches in diameter. Keep extra flour nearby and lightly dust the work surface under the chapati as needed so the chapati doesn’t stick. Whenever the chapati starts sticking, stop rolling, flip the chapati over so the other side can pick up some of the flour on the work surface and start rolling again. (Watch the video below for a clear demonstration).
- To cook the chapati, lay the flat and circular chapati on the heated frying pan. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes until you can see that it has puffed up in spots and the dough has begun to cook. Flip the chapati over and the first side should be lightly browned in spots. Carefully spin the chapati with your hand or a spatula to distribute the heat and cook the second side for another minute or so until it too is lightly browned in spots. Spread a little bit of oil (½ teaspoon or so) over the chapati and flip it back onto that first side. Spread a bit of oil over the second side and flip the chapati again. After another few seconds when the chapati is nicely spotted with browning and cooked through, remove it from the heat.
- Continue rolling and cooking all of the chapati. Try to get into a rhythm where you can roll out a chapati in the first 1-2 minutes that another is cooking on the pan. This way you will have a constant assembly line of chapati cooking and being rolled flat.
- Chapati are best enjoyed warm but these will stay soft for quite awhile so you can wrap the warm chapati in a clean kitchen towel to keep them as warm and soft as possible until you are ready to serve them. To reheat cold chapati, lay them on a heated frying pan for a few seconds until they are warm to the touch and pliable again. Store any leftovers in the fridge if needed.
- Serve your chapati with my Kenyan githeri recipe or any curry/stew you love.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $1.95 Canadian.
I have tried reducing the amounts of oil, sugar, and salt in this recipe but the chapati will not be nearly as soft and pliable. For an oil-free recipe you might love my 2 ingredient roti made with just whole wheat flour and water. The roti do not stay as soft as these chapati but they are simple to make and still delicious!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Kenyan
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