Instructions

1. Make the dough:
2. Place 3 cups atta in a medium bowl and make a small well in the middle. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into the well.
3. While using your fingers to gather the flour and mix it into the water, slowly pour 1 cup lukewarm water into the well. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead in the bowl into a uniform, moist dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the dough into an airtight bag and seal the bag. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (This is a good time to prepare dishes to serve with the chapati like saag paneer or lentil dal with hearty greens.)
5. Shape and cook the chapatis:
6. Roll the dough with your palms on a work surface into a 12-inch log of even thickness. Cut crosswise into 8 (1 1/2-inch) pieces.
7. Roll each piece into a ball and place under a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
8. Dust a work surface with atta. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out 1 piece of dough until roughly 8 inches wide, dusting with more flour as needed. Repeat rolling out the remaining pieces, stacking them well-dusted with flour so that they don’t stick.
9. Heat a griddle or 10-inch carbon steel skillet or frying pan on medium-low heat. Place 1 chapati in the pan. Cook until a few bubbles form on top, about 30 seconds. Flip it over. Brush a little oil on the chapati (about 1/4 teaspoon). After a few more bubbles form on the oiled side, flip it again. Brush a little oil on the second side. Cook until dark-brown, toasted spots form, about 30 seconds more on each side. Reduce the heat as needed if the pan gets too hot.
10. Stack and wrap the cooked chapatis in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.