Making Gluten Free Chapatis

I was getting nostalgic today while making a huge batch of chapatis…..when we started on this gluten free uber healthy living kick nearly 7 years ago for my kids health, we never knew that it would end with me needing to eat this way because of Lyme.

I have been so blessed along the way with friends sharing recipes and learning to cook things my family will enjoy. Chapatis are definitely one of them. Thanks to my dear friend from Kenya (whose family is from India), we learned how to make gluten free chapatis that are really delicious. Having international friends has really opened up our ability to still eat delicious food without gluten.

For those of you wondering what on earth is a chapatis, it is very similar to a tortilla or flatbread. Traditionally the Indian recipes you will find use whole wheat flour and ghee, which is almost like clarified butter. Don’t get me started on this – that’s for an entirely other blog, because I have gone through the painstaking process to make homemade ghee when we were casein free, and I am glad there were no cameras watching the first time.

This recipe I have figured out uses olive oil, in case I don’t have ghee in the house or haven’t made any. I’ve experimented with different flour mixes and this one is our favorite. But if you like the flavor, amaranth or quinoa flour will work too.

3 cups flour – (mix of 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour and 1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour)

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

2 eggs

1- 1 1/4 cups hot water (just enough to knead into a ball and roll out for separate chapatis)

You can roll these out any circle size depending on your skillet or griddle. Use quite a bit of flour to roll them out becuase the dough is delicate. I use a bit of oil or ghee in the pan to “sear” them a bit. You want the skillet on med-high. You will know to flip them when you see them start to bubble. It only takes a min or two on each side.

We like to eat them in place of pitas, tortillas, or flatbreads. They roll up better when warmed. They freeze well too. Happy cooking and enjoy.