Kulcha is a popular North Indian flatbread with a soft and fluffy texture. It is made from a leavened dough of all-purpose flour, yogurt, leavening agents, oil, salt and sugar. This flatbread can be cooked in a tandoor or on a tawa or skillet. Serve these soft flatbreads hot with spicy chole masala or chickpea curry.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 135 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 165 minutes
  • Yield: 10 · 10 Kulcha
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour ((maida))
  • 4 tablespoons curd ((yogurt) or 3 tablespoon yogurt + 1 tablespoon milk. can use cashew yogurt)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup water (- for kneading, add more if required)
  • 2 to 2½ teaspoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt (or as required)
  • 2½ tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • some oil (or ghee or butter for roasting)
  • extra flour (- for dusting)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons nigella seeds ((kalonji) or sesame seeds)

Method

Making dough

  1. Mix the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
  2. Make a well in the center. Add the yogurt, oil and water.
  3. Begin to mix the flour with the liquids first and then start to knead. Make a smooth, soft and supple dough.
  4. In the same bowl or pan, cover the dough with a wet kitchen napkin and let the dough rest for 2 hours.

Rolling and making kulcha

  1. Make small balls of the dough and flatten them a bit. Sprinkle some nigella seeds or sesame seeds on the dough ball.
  2. With the rolling pin, flatten the dough and roll each into a small-sized kulcha. Do not roll thin but have a medium thickness similar to a paratha or slightly thicker than paratha.
  3. Heat a flat skillet or a tawa. Place the rolled flatbread on the hot tawa.
  4. Cook one side partially till its ¼ᵗʰ cooked. Flip and cook the other side till it is ½ cooked.
  5. Apply oil or ghee on both sides of kulcha while roasting. You can skip the oil or ghee if you prefer.
  6. Flip a few times as needed and roast till it gets golden spots and is evenly cooked. Prepare more kulchas in a similar way.
  7. As you prepare them, stack the cooked kulcha in a roti-basket, so that they stay warm.
  8. Serve kulcha hot or warm.

Serving & Storing

  1. Serve kulcha hot with Punjabi Chole, Chana Masala, Pindi Chole, Matar Curry, pickle or yogurt.
  2. Refrigerate leftover kulchas in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat before serving.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.