Parothas are in a class of their own. From the simplest ingredients, Indian artisan bakers conjure up delicious products that look and taste like a mixture of flatbread, pancakes and puff pastry. 

Parothas are a regular feature of everyday meals in South and North India and find their way onto the table from early in the morning until late evening. 

Although there are different methods of preparation, recipes and alternative spellings of parotha (paratha, parotta, parontay, porotta, parathe) in each of the 28 Indian states, all the variants have one thing in common: the production process is always elaborate and takes a large measure of skill and patience. 

Simple ingredients, complex preparation

One of the main ingredients is wheat flour (atta/maida). Consumers in northern regions prefer the stronger taste of wholemeal (atta) parothas. By far the largest percentage of the atta flour is stone-ground instead of being produced in roller mills. The capacity of these stone mills ranges from a few hundred kilograms to over a hundred tonnes a day. 

To meet consumers’ high expectations of parothas day in, day out, it is especially important to ensure suitable flour quality.

Another important raw material besides flour is fat — not only as an ingredient of the recipe but as an aid to preparation of the dough. It is the constant moistening of the dough with ghee, butter or oil that leads to the formation of separate layers that do not stick together. The correct dosing of the fat requires instinct, for the aim is to make parothas that are neither too dry nor too heavy, and with tender layers that melt in the mouth. 

Besides unfilled parothas, Indian bakeries offer numerous variants and augment the basic recipe, for example, with a spicy potato mash (aloo parotha) or with spinach (palak parotha) or peas (green pea parotha). The filling is either kneaded directly into the dough, or the dough is laid round the filling like an envelope.

Layer by layer to a unique product

The secret of the parotha lies in the layering of the dough. Parothas are made from extremely extensible dough that is rolled, worked and folded until thin strips consisting of several layers form. These are then twisted round into a spiral shape. In a final step the spiral balls are pressed flat, rolled with a rolling pin and then shallow fried. 

Very often the equipment used is extremely basic. The owners of the street stalls sometimes use neither a mechanical mixer nor a rolling pin.  

The mark of a perfect parotha is an irregularly browned surface on both sides in which the spiral layers are visible. 

Malabar Parothas

“Malabar” parothas are typical south Indian parothas, equally popular, dipped in a cup of tea for breakfast, as an accompaniment to spicy chicken curry, with vegetarian potato korma or to go with peppery lentil dal. Crisp on the outside, pleasantly soft inside — and best of all, fresh and still warm. For Indians, it is the ideal way to eat their traditional bakery product. Countless roadside stalls and restaurants make sure there is an endless round-the-clock supply. Industrial production plays only a minor role in this segment. 

The following is a typical recipe and preparation method for malabar parothas (south Indian style):

• Refined flour (maida): 1,000 g
• Salt: 10 g
• Sugar: 10 g
• Oil (dough preparation): 150 g   
• Oil (additional requirement during dough preparation and baking, approximately): 350 g
• Water: 600 g 
• Optional ingredients: sugar, eggs, milk etc.

Procedure for making parothas

• Mix flour and salt with water.
• Knead well to make a smooth dough.
• Apply oil and continue kneading for a few minutes so that the dough becomes soft but not sticky.
• Cover with wet muslin cloth and set aside for one hour.
• Then take up the dough, add a little more oil and knead well once again (the gluten will develop, and the dough will expand like elastic when you draw it out).
• Make 70-gram balls from the dough and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Roll out each ball into a very thin, flat round shape using a rolling pin and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Hold the sheeted dough at one end and roll from one end to the other to make a long strip.
• Curl the strip spirally toward the center.
• Flatten the ball by hand to join all the curves and allow to rest for 5 minutes (in this way the parotha will become a single round shape with several spiral layers in it).
• Place the parotha in a hot pan and cook with a little oil until both sides are golden brown.
• Apply plenty of oil on both sides during the process.
• Pat the parotha to separate the layers.

Elaborate production process

Because of the elaborate production process, parotha manufacturers and restaurants must constantly contend with difficulties and unsatisfactory results in the products. To meet consumers’ high expectations of parothas day in, day out, it is especially important to ensure suitable flour quality. One of the main problems is fluctuating flour properties, but these can be compensated for with suitable flour improvers. 

The ideal properties for parotha flour are:

• Protein: 10% to 12 %
• Dry gluten: 10% to 11%
• Ash: 0.48% to 0.50 %
• Falling number: 300 to 400 s
• Water absorption: 61%to 64%
• Farinograph stability: more than 8 minutes
• Extensograph resistance: 500 to 550 BU
• Extensograph extensibility: 150 to 180 mm

Of course, it is essential to adhere to each country’s specifications. In India, there are strict regulations of the Food Safety Standard Act of India; in neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Nepal, where multi-layered flatbreads are also popular, other regulations are in force. 

From the point of view of baking technology, the following agents are most suitable for dealing with the problems occurring in parotha production: 

Problem: Dough too tight 

Possible causes: Strong flour with low extensibility; flour with too much added oxidizing agent 

Solution: The flour can be corrected by adding a reducing agent, proteolytic enzymes (e.g. Alphamalt PRO), a gluten improving agent, a combination of all the above (e.g. Alphamalt Parotha) or an emulsifier.

Problem: Slack dough (loose dough) 

Possible causes: Flour with excessive starch damage; weak gluten properties

Solution: Blend flours to achieve optimum starch damage. Add small amount of ascorbic acid (ELCO C 100 K) or glucose oxidase (Alphamalt Gloxy). 

Problem: Parothas dry after baking 

Possible causes: Parothas over-baked; weak flour 

Solution: Use a gluten improving agent; control the baking temperature; add suitable hydrocolloids for water absorption (Alphamalt WA range).

Problem: Poor separation of parotha layers/insufficient flakiness

Possible causes: Flour with weak gluten; flour with added oxidizing agent 

Solution: Use flour of suitable quality; add softening agents, protease (Alphamalt PRO) or hemicellulose (Alphamalt HC).

Sven Mattutat is a product manager with Mühlenchemie. He may be reached at smattutat@stern-wywiol-gruppe.de.