India is a country with diverse culture in aspects of clothing, language, and even the food. Every culture has their distinct forte when it comes to food. But no food is complete without the age old Indian bread.
India has a variety of bread which are served with various delicacies. For example, the roti, naan, kulcha, etc.
Here, we will share with you 20 such Indian pieces of bread to compliment with your food.
1. Chapati
Almost every Indian state staple diet consists of the humble chapati. It is made with the goodness of wheat flour, oil, water, and a pinch of salt. It is one of the healthiest Indian bread and compliments with every dry or gravy vegetable.
2. Fulka
Similar to the chapati, Fulka is the smaller version of the chapatti and is roasted on the burner until it puffs up to perfection. Hence, it is named Fulka.
3. Roti
Rotis are also a type of flat bread served with various dishes dry/gravy. These are made with flour/wheat flour. The only distinguishing factor between a chapatti and a roti is that the rotis are made in tandoors (typically, hollow clay pots) and is a speciality of Punjab but has gained popularity in many parts of the country.
4
Roomali Roti
It is also known as the thin flat bread as it is extremely slim and supple. The name Roomali roti is derived from the word rumal which means a handkerchief. This bread is made with a combination of refined wheat flour (Maida) and whole wheat flours (Atta) and is best cooked on top of an inverted Indian Wok (Kadhai).
Missi Roti 5
This type of roti is the specialty of Rajasthan. It is made with the same ingredients that are used to make chapatti. The only difference is that the Missi Roti also contains the dried powdered spices such as cumin seed powder, turmeric powder, and red chili powder. This type of roti is best when served to pipe hot with a dollop of pure ghee which makes the food even more delicious.
Puri/Poori 6
Puris are another common type of Indian bread. They are prepared with wheat flour or coarse wheat flour or refined wheat flour. The flour is mixed with salt and powdered cumin seed (in some places) and formed into a dough which is then made flat and deep fried. This bread is most commonly served with boiled potato vegetable (puri-bhaji). Apart from that, puris are served with many drier /gravy vegetables as well as sweet savouries such as kheer, halwa etc.
7.
Thepla
Thepla is the speciality of Gujarat. It is mildly spiced bread cooked with fenugreek leaves, wheat flour and other powdered spices. Usually, it is served with pickle or any other vegetable. It can be eaten as a replacement to the chapatti.
8. Naan
This is the most common Indian bread served at most of the Indian restaurants and weddings/functions to compliment with various veg and non-veg delicacies. It is made from dough containing the mixture of white wheat flour (Maida), yeast, yogurt, butter or ghee, water, and milk. The Naan tastes best when served hot. The more it is let to sit the chewier it gets.
9.
Laccha
The laccha paratha is another speciality of Punjab. It is also called as the Paratwala paratha. Parat in Punjabi means layers and layers that can be seen on the paratha. The dough is quite similar to that of the regular dough. The only change is that it is in the form of layers. It is served with almost every vegetable.
10.
Bhatura
The Bhatura is a Punjabi variation of the puri. It is larger than the size of a puri. The dough is prepared using refined flour, curd, salt, oil, and water. It is deep fried in clarified butter or oil and served piping hot with the gravy preparation of chick peas, famously known as chole bhature.
Parantha 11
Paranthas are Indian bread those are either served with vegetable preparations or savoured with chutney or dahi. It has normal dough preparation of wheat flour or refined flour. Paranthas are stuffed cauliflower, potato, paneer, bottle gourd, and radish. These paranthas are also suitable to be served as breakfast in most parts of India. These are renowned as aloo parantha, gobi parantha, muli parantha, paneer parantha.
12.
Bhakri
Bhakri is a thick flatbread made from flours of different grains such as Ragi (finger millet), Bajra (pearl millet), Rice, Jowar (sorghum). It is more coarse and thick as compared to the roti or the chapatti. It is served with gravies or chutneys. Again it is a common preparation in the regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
13. Dosa
A staple of the South Indian cuisine, Dosas are pancake look alike bread made from fermented rice and gram flour. Rice and black gram seeds are soaked and ground into a fine paste which is let to sit overnight for fermentation. This batter is used to make the pancakes which are served with sambar, chutney or other vegetable preparations.
14. Appam
Again prepared from the same batter as the dosa, it looks more like a crepe. The edges are thinner while the centre is slightly thicker. The difference between the dosa and appam batter is that dosa batter is left a little longer for fermentation.
15. Pathiri
Pathiri is again a rice flour pancake, commonly made in the Malabar regions of South India. The initial process is like that of the dosa. Further, the pathiri pancakes are soaked in coconut milk. The pathiri pancakes absorb the flavour of the coconut milk and are served with chicken preparations to make the spice easy on the pallet. Also in the month of Ramzan, some Muslim communities serve pathiri at Iftar.
16 Puran Poli
It is a sweet flatbread preparation mostly made in the Deccan and southern regions of India. The sweet filling called ‘puran’ is made from chana dal and jaggery (made from cane) paste while the dough for the bread is made from refined flour, salt, oil, and water. The puran is stuffed in small dough balls and rolled to flatbread and roasted like the chapatti. It is best served with a drizzle of clarified butter i.e. ghee and warm milk to dunk it in.
17. Baati
Baati is a baked bread preparation from the desert regions of Rajasthan, certain areas of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It is hard unleavened bread made from flour, oil, and water. It may be stuffed with onions or peas. It is served with different kinds of hot piping dals and ghee. It is an important delicacy of the dal baati churma dish. It is high in nutrition content and also has a long shelf life.
18.
Rotti
Rotti is a well-known Mangalorean bread type served with a red chili chicken preparation called as korri rotti. Roti is made from boiled rice. It is a crispy 1mm thin, dry wafer. The chicken gravy is served on the wafers and savoured together. It is a traditional dish of the Tulu-speaking community.
Sannas / idlis 19
It is a boiled rice preparation which is steamed spongy rice cake. Mostly a staple in the south of India, these rice cakes are served with pork or chicken gravies. They can also be had for breakfast with chutney and sambhar.
20. Thalipeeth
Thalipeeth is a multigrain savoury pancake with chopped onions, chilies, and other vegetables. The multigrain flour for thalipeeth is prepared from roasted tapioca (sabudana), rajgira (Amaranth), cumin seeds, coriander seeds, rice, and wheat. It is a very common delicacy in the western region of Maharashtra. It is a meal in itself kind of a bread. It is served with clarified butter (ghee) and chutney.
