Indian Roti Bread

 You know that feeling, when you start cutting out sugar? It feels like you won't live another day without it, and if you do, you'll be pining for it all of the next day. Well, I haven't been cutting out sugar, but I've been reducing it, and I'm not craving it so much any more. Don't worry, once Easter hits, my body with thaw from this sugar-free stupor and need chocolate again. And all those gooey, gory delightfully chocolate dripping desserts and sweets will be flowing freely again on the blog. But in the mean time, I've been entertaining my more savory side. I don't think I really have a flare for the savories.  When I see my husband in the kitchen cooking up a storm, it makes me feel inadequate when it comes to savories. He has a creative eye for savories and I have a creative eye for sweets I suppose. Here he was the other night cooking up Bajis and Rogan Josh like a pro, and I just knew I had to add my two cents. So I made Roti bread, and it was most satisfying. There are several different types of Indian bread that can be served with curries and the likes--naan bread, roti and chapati. Roti is flatter and less bready than naan bread, and chapati I believe are a flatbread much like roti (I'm not sure what the difference is). What I do know is roti is a lovely in-between sort of bread, and can be used like wraps as well, filled with curry or whatever you may desire.

INDIAN ROTI BREAD (Adapted from Cooking Curries, Murdoch Books)

1 1/2 cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp softened ghee or oil (I even used butter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water

Sift the flour in a large bowl and add the salt. Rub in the ghee or oil with your fingers. Add half of the beaten egg to the bowl, reserving the rest of the egg for later. Add the warm water and mix together with a flat bladed knife, such as a butter knife, until you form a moist dough.
Turn out onto a well floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until you have a nice soft dough, adding flour as needed to keep from sticking to your work surface.
Form this dough into a smooth ball and brush with oil. Place this dough in the bowl and cover with a clean tea towel for 2 hours to rest.
Lightly flour the work surface again, and turn out the rested dough. Form into a log and divide into 6 even pieces. Roll into even sized balls. Take each ball, and working with a little oil on your hands, hold the dough up and stretch the edges out evenly until a 2mm x 15cm round is formed. Lay on a lightly floured surface and cover with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out, and proceed to do the same with the rest of the pieces of dough. 
Heat a large frying pan on high and brush with some oil or ghee. When hot, gently lower one of the stretched rounds onto the fry pan. Brush teh top side with remaining beaten egg. Cook for approximately 1 minute on each side until slightly golden. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm, then proceed to cook the other rotis in the same way.

Makes 6