
Quick Paratha
- MakesMakes 8 parathas
- Cook Time40 minutes
In London, cookbook author Meera Sodha taught us her brilliant shortcut for making paratha, a type of unleavened South Asian flatbread. She cuts store-bought frozen puff pastry into portions, works each portion into a ball, then rolls them out into rounds. Cooked in a dry skillet, the flatbreads turn spotty brown and have a layered flakiness and pliability that mimic real paratha. All-butter Dufour frozen puff pastry is sold in a 14-ounce package that contains a single sheet. Widely available Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry is sold in a 17.3-ounce box that contains two sheets (use both sheets in this recipe, cutting each into four pieces). Either works in this recipe; we preferred the texture and pliability of the flatbreads made with Pepperidge Farm pastry, but Dufour scored points for its buttery flavor.
Don’t worry about being delicate with the dough. It’s best not to knead the portions like bread to form them into balls, but they can withstand the pressure of being smushed into cohesion. When cooking the paratha, don’t crank up the heat to rush the browning. The dough needs time to cook through; when done, it should not show translucent areas on either side.
Step 1
Lightly dust the counter with flour. If using Dufour, unfold the sheet onto the floured surface. Using a chef’s knife, cut the sheet in half lengthwise, then crosswise into fourths; you will have 8 equal pieces. If using Pepperidge Farm, unfold both sheets onto the floured surface. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise to form 8 pieces.
Step 2
Form each piece into a ball. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You can wad up the dough with your hands like a sheet of paper or gather the edges in the center, then smush the sides together. Once gathered into a small mass, roll the dough between your palms into a cohesive ball, then flatten it between your palms to form a disk about 4 inches wide. Dust both sides of the disk with flour then, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 6- to 7-inch round. Dust again with flour on both sides and place on a plate. Shape and roll the remaining pieces in the same way, flouring and stacking the rounds.
Step 3
Heat a 10- or 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium until water flicked onto the surface immediately sizzles and evaporates. Brush excess flour off a dough round and place it in the pan. Cook, flipping it about every 90 seconds, until it is covered with brown spots and there are no areas of uncooked (i.e., translucent) dough on either side, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Cook the remaining rounds in the same way. Serve warm.

