Warm melt-in-the mouth soft Kulche, with spicy Chole/Mathra are my absolute favorite! A lighter healthier alternative to deep fried Pooris and Bhaturas, they are also a great option for lunch boxes, picnics or traveling as they can be enjoyed even at room temperature.
Make a big batch and serve them at your next party or even freeze them to use at your convenience these Kulchas make your life easy any-which-way!
I have been making these kulchas for almost 20 years now to considerably good results. Have even posted my go-to-recipe for them. But recently I tried my friend Reem’s famous Kulcha recipe to even more fabulous results! So here I am sharing it with all you….friends Reem’s recipe is absolutely fool-proof and will give you flawless results every single time! 🙂
I like them best warmed up with a touch of butter and served with Mom’s Famous JAGAT Famous Chole Or my Zero-Oil No-Onion No-Garlic Pindi Chana…YUMMMMMMY!
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 tsp Active Instant Dry Yeast
3 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
2 cups Luke warm Milk
1/4 cup Luke warm water
2 tbsp oil
Some kalonji seeds or finely chopped dhania and hari mirch for garnish
Method:
Whisk flour to aerate.
Only then measure out required quantity.
This step is very important, as you end up with more flour than is needed for the recipe. Below I show how much extra I ended up with, when I measured without whisking!
Next add sugar to the warm water
And the yeast,
Leave covered for 10 min till it becomes frothy.
Now add the salt,
Along with the yeast solution to the flour,
And the milk.
Using a wooden spoon bring the dough together…
into a sticky mass.
Cover and keep for 10 minutes to Autolyse.
Remove cover..dip fingers in oil
Pinch dough and stretch up..you will see the gluten developing.
Bring pinched dough into the middle, from all sides…moving in a concentric circle.
Continue pinching and folding the sticky dough,
Dipping fingers in oil, intermittently.
Keep working the dough for 5-6 minutes…till it starts to come together and the sides start to become some what clean
When you lift dough, it should now be, just a little sticky.
Transfer to a greased bowl.
Bring the dough together, from all sides and pinch ends together.
Flip to bring smooth side on top and spray lightly with oil.
Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and leave aside for an hour.
After one hour, the dough will more than double.
Punch dough lightly, bring sides together and pinch ends, flip to bring smooth side up.
At this stage if you want, you can refrigerate dough in a large zip lock bag for 2-3 days.
If using right away…transfer dough to a work surface sprayed lightly with oil.
Cut dough into 18 equal pieces.
Spray your hands with oil and squish each piece gently.
Pat with fingers to spread.
Bring edges into the middle, moving in a concentric circle.
Pinch edges to seal.
Flip to bring smooth surface on top. Repeat with all the 18 pieces. Spray them lightly with oil.
Spread each piece into a small flat disc,
And then cover with a damp cloth and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Now pat each disc, to form thin circular kulchas.
Transfer to greased aluminum bake ware (I use steel thalis)
Avoid using non-stick, if you want soft white kulchas!
Sprinkle with kalonji seeds if you like.
Press kulchas lightly with finger tips, to predss topping in and adjust shape.
If you like, you can sprinkle with finely chopped green chilies and dhania, like I do.
Preheat oven at 450F or whatever is the highest your oven allows. Place Kulcha trays on middle rack and bake for 5-6 minutes.
Then transfer trays to bottom rack and bake for another 2 minutes if you want the bottom cooked further.
Now remove kulchas from oven and cool on wire rack.
Once cool, they can be stored in an air tight container or zip lock. If you like you can even freeze them for later use.
For serving, heat a tava or non stick pan, warm the kulchas
applying a little butter if you like…
Serve warm with Chole
or Mathra
or even simple Alu ki Rase-wali Sabzi…Mmmm so delicious!