Puri - Fried Indian Bread

Puri or Poori is a small, round fried bread made with whole wheat flour, puffed to a lightly crisp golden-brown perfection. Puri is one of the most versatile fry breads that packs in incredibly simple, yet immensely pleasing flavors and textures. Quite obviously, it is one of the most popular and well-loved Indian breads across all age groups.

Combined with a spicy entree dish, poori makes for an incredibly gratifying breakfast, snack, or meal. Not only will this meal leave you thoroughly satisfied, but you will invariably crave for more! 

Elevating color & texture of Puri

Puri is made from whole wheat flour that is kneaded into a firm dough. I add some rava (semolina) for crispy texture and it also helps to keep the puri puffed up for a longer time. My puri recipe also calls for adding a teaspoon of sugar while kneading the dough to get the perfect golden hue to the fried puri. 

Piping hot puris are undoubtedly the most perfect accompaniment to a host of Indian entree dishes, both sweet and savory. No Indian festive meal is complete without these delectable puri’s. Happiness is walking into an Indian home, where the gentle aroma of piping hot puris instantly greets you, setting for the perfect welcome and the promise of a memorable feast. 

MOC’s recipe tips on making the perfectly puffed up Puri:

1. Knead the dough to a firm consistency. If you knead the dough soft, you will end up with oily puri’s
2. Rava - Add a little bit rava to the dough to get the right crispy bite and for the Puri to stay puffed up for a longer time
3. Sugar - Add a teaspoon of sugar while kneading the dough to get the perfect golden hue
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Test that the oil is heated to the right temperature by dropping a tiny piece of flattened dough into the oil. If the dough rises up instantly and begins to puff up, you are good to go
5. Drain the fried puri’s on paper towels. This takes out any excess oil and makes them light to eat

My most cherished “puri memories” are from my growing-up days. No Sunday was complete without our mandatory family brunch. My home would come alive with the tantalizing aromas of freshly made puri with batata bhaji, and fresh ginger chai. What I’d give to live those days again!

Puri variations

Puri’s can be easily adapted to various tastes and flavors. For example, you can spice up your dough with a few basic Indian condiments to create “masala puri’s”. Or you can add puréed spinach to the dough while kneading to make delicious hot “palak puri’s”. My mom often made sweet puri’s also known as "Dangar Ghare" with puréed pumpkin, Indian jaggery, infused with cardamom and saffron. Check out my twist with the sweet pumpkin parathas.

While options are aplenty, I love the basic version of poori’s as they are easy to team up with so many different dishes to make for a wholesome meal. Here are just a few examples of how you can enjoy your puri’s. Mix and match these sweet and savory options for a festive Indian meal!

Ideas to serve Puri

1. Batata Bhaji - Spicy Indian potato curry with ginger & green chilies
2. Chole - Indian Chickpea curry in a tomato base with fresh ground spices 
3. Undhiyu - Traditional Gujarati flavor-packed mixed vegetable curry
4. Amrakhand - Creamy mango dessert with yogurt & mango pulp
5. Kheer - Luxurious rice pudding made in the Instant Pot
6. Basundi - Thick milk pudding dish with a healthier twist

This post explains the technique of making the basic puri. But feel free to work with different flavors to add that extra spunk to your dish, and wow your friends and family!

Step by step recipe to make Puri

I like to use my KitchenAid stand mixer to make the puri dough. But you can also make it by hand. So before I get into how to make the dough in the mixer here is how to make puri dough by hand:

1. Add flour, rava, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Then slowly add the water a little bit at a time and mix it in with the flour using the fingertips of your dominant hand. Keep adding water and knead until firm dough starts to form.
3. Then add the oil and knead once again for 4 to 5 minutes or until the dough becomes even and smooth.
4. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 5 minutes as you preheat the oil. The dough can stay at room temperature for an hour or so, or you can refrigerate it in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Make the Dough (Using stand mixer)

• Attach the spiral dough hook to the stand mixer. Add flour, rava, sugar, and salt then mix by starting the mixer at speed 2
• Slowly add water to the mixer bowl and increase the speed to 3. You may want to pause the mixer and check the dough before adding all the water. The dough should be firmer than regular paratha or roti dough
• Once the dough has fully formed, add the oil and let the mixer run for another 2 to 3 minutes. Take the dough out, cover, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes

Step 2: Roll the Puri

• Knead the dough once more for a minute and make small round balls from it.  With 4 cups of dough, you can make roughly 25-30 balls. Add oil to a frying pan and preheat on low to medium heat
• Take one dough ball at a time and lightly roll it in the dry flour to evenly coat it with flour. Note: You can skip rolling the flour in the dough altogether if you like. Then roll it using a rolling pin and make a small 4-inch circle
• You can roll all the puris and line them on a parchment paper lined tray or roll and fry simultaneously

Step 3: Fry the Puri

• Turn the heat for the frying pan to medium-high. Allow it to heat up and then carefully slide in rolled puri in the hot oil
• Gently press down with a stainless steel skimmer spatula as the puri starts to puff up
• Then turn it over and pressing gently, cook until both sides turn light golden brown
• Carefully pick up the puri in the spatula, allow the excess to drain out, and then place the Puri in a paper towel-lined tray which will absorb any excess. Repeat rolling and frying the remaining Puris

Homemade Puri is best served hot as they will deflate over time. Lining them up next to each other vs stacking up will also help them stay puffed up as you serve. Here is how I served them last year to celebrate Gudi Padwa (an auspicious Indian holiday) - shrikhand, batata bhaji and varan bhath

We love making homemade Indian bread. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner these savory and sweet Indian breads are our favorites:

• Methi Thepla - thin rolled savory fenugreek paratha
• Kale Paratha - best way to eat kale with these crispy soft flatbreads
• Cabbage Paratha - red cabbage flatbread with ginger and chilis
• Thalipeeth - multigrain flatbreads using all the flours in your pantry
• Til Poli - sweet sesame flatbreads
• Sweet Pumpkin Paratha - healthy twist on traditional pumpkin puri's
• Pakatali Puri - luscious puris dunked in sugar syrup laced with saffron
• Saranachi Puri - mom's sweet puri with earthy aromatic jaggery filling

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Puri

Puri's add a festive touch to any Indian meal! Here is a step by step recipe with tips & tricks and a quick video to mak puffy golden puri

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Course: Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8

Calories: 229kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Equipment

• Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups whole wheat flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rava sooji, optional
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sugar optional
• ▢ 1 - ¾ cups water or as needed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ Oil for frying around 2 cups

Instructions

To make the dough by hand:

• Add flour, rava, sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well. Then slowly add the water a little bit at a time and mix it in with the flour using the fingertips of your dominant hand. Keep adding water and knead until firm dough starts to form.
• Then add the oil and knead once again for 4 to 5 minutes or until the dough becomes even and smooth. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 5 minutes as you preheat the oil. Dough can stay at room temperature for an hour or so, or you can refrigerate it in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

To make the Dough using Stand Mixer:

• Attach the spiral dough hook to the stand mixer. Add flour, semolina, sugar, and salt then mix by starting the mixer at speed
• Slowly add water to the mixer bowl. You may want to pause the mixer and check the dough before adding all the water. The dough should be firmer than regular paratha or roti dough. Once the dough has fully formed, add the oil and let the mixer run for another 2 to 3 minutes. Take the dough out, cover and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

Rolling:

• Knead the dough once more for a minute and make small round balls from it. With 4 cups of dough you can make roughly 25-30 balls. Add oil in a frying pan and preheat on low to medium heat.
• Take one dough ball at a time and lightly roll it in the dry flour so that it is evenly covered with flour. Note: You can skip rolling the flour in the dough altogether of you like. Then roll it using a rolling pin and make a small 4 inch circle. You can roll all the puris and line them on parchment paper lines tray or roll and fry simultaneously.

Frying

• Turn the heat for the frying pan to medium high. Allow it to heat up and then carefully slide in rolled puri in the hot oil.
• Gently press down with a stainless steel skimmer spatula as the puri starts to puff up. Then turn it over and pressing gently, cook until both sides turn light golden brown.
• Carefully pick up the puri in the spatula, allow the excess to drain out and then place the Puri in a paper towel lined tray which will absorb any excess. Repeat rolling and frying the remaining Puris.

Video

Notes

Tips on making the perfectly puffed up Puri:

1. Knead the dough to a firm consistency. If you knead the dough soft, you will end up with oily puri’s
2. Rava - Add a little bit rava to the dough to get the right crispy bite and for the Puri to stay puffed up for a longer time
3. Sugar - Add a teaspoon of sugar while kneading the dough to get the perfect golden hue
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Test the oil is heated to the right temperature by dropping a tiny piece of flattened dough into the oil. If the dough rises up instantly and begins to puff up, you are good to go
5. Drain the fried puri’s on paper towels. This takes out any excess oil and makes them light to eat

Reheating tips 

Although puri's taste best served immediately, here is how you can heat up leftover puri's.

1. Line them up in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 5 minutes.  
2. Put 2 to 3 puri's at a time in the Mealthy CrispLid basket and bake for 3 minutes at 300 degrees - This is my favorite way to reheat Puri or any leftovers that I want to add crispness too like pakoras. 
3. Use the traditional air fryer and bake for 3 to 4 minutes at 300 degrees

 

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 605mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg

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