There's nothing like the sound of a puri hitting hot oil and puffing up right before your eyes, crisp, golden, and light as air the second it's done. Two tricks make the difference: a little sooji for crunch, and a touch of sugar for that perfect golden color. It's simpler than it looks, and once you get the rhythm down, it's hard to stop at just one.

Puri in silver plate with potato bhaji and pickle

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Growing up, puri meant something special was happening! Like Gudi Padwa with shrikhand and batata bhaji or a big family meal for Diwali. These days I make them any time I want that same festive feeling at the table, not just on the big occasions. It's also one of the best ways to get kids to try new Vegetarian Curries; mine will happily dip a fluffy puri into almost anything.

Elevating the Color & Texture of Puri

Puri is made from whole wheat flour that is kneaded into a firm dough. I add some rava (sooji) for a 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.

More Tips for Perfectly Puffed-up Puri

Keep the dough firm. When the dough is too soft, the puris turn out oily.
Roll with a light hand, and don't roll too thin. This is the biggest reason puris come out tough instead of light and airy.
Test the oil before frying: drop in a small piece of flattened dough. If it puffs up right away, you're ready to go.
Drain fried puris on paper towels to keep them light.

Indian Thali meal with shrikhand and puri

How to Make Puri (Step-By-Step)

I like to use my KitchenAid stand mixer to make the puri dough, but you can also easily knead it by hand. Detailed steps are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the Dough

A stand mixer bowl contains a mixture of flour and sugar with a dough hook attachment positioned above the ingredients. — Attach the spiral dough hook to the stand mixer. Add whole wheat flour, rava, sugar, and salt to the bowl.
Start the mixer at speed 2.

Stand mixer blending dough in a stainless steel bowl, with paddle attachment combining dry and wet ingredients into a rough, crumbly mixture. — Slowly add water to the mixer bowl and increase the speed to 3.

A stand mixer kneads a large ball of bread dough in a stainless steel mixing 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.

A ball of dough sits in the bowl of a stand mixer on a kitchen counter. — Once the dough has fully formed, add the oil and mix for another 2 to 3 minutes. Take the dough out, cover it, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes

Rolling Puri

Hands rolling a piece of dough on a round silver surface, with more dough and a bowl visible nearby on a white cloth background. — Knead the dough once more for a minute.

A hand holds a round ball of dough above a flat surface, with more dough balls and pieces visible nearby on a white plate and cloth. — Make small round balls from it. With 4 cups of dough, you can make roughly 25-30 balls.

A single dough ball dusted with flour sits on a round metal plate, with a rolling pin and bowls of dough and flour nearby on a cloth-covered surface. — Take one dough ball at a time and lightly roll it in the dry flour to evenly coat it with flour.

A round, uncooked dough disc sits on a flat gray surface next to a wooden rolling pin and a bowl on a white cloth. — Roll using a rolling pin to make a small 4-inch round puri.

Frying Puris

A hand lowers a rolled puri into hot oil in a black pan on a stovetop, preparing to fry it. — Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Carefully slide the rolled puri into the hot oil

Puri is being fried in hot oil in a black pan on a stovetop, with bubbling visible around the edges. — With the right oil temperature, you will hear a sharp crackle the second it hits the oil.

A metal slotted spoon lifts presses the puri in hot oil. — Gently press down with a slotted spatula as the puri starts to puff up. Turn it over and press gently. Cook until it turns light golden brown.

A puffed puri is lifted from hot oil with a slotted spoon over a stovetop, with more puris on a paper towel nearby. — Carefully pick up the puri with the spatula, and drain out the oil. Place the Puri in a paper towel-lined tray to absorb the excess oil.

Serving

Puris are best eaten right away; they'll start to deflate within 10-15 minutes as the trapped steam escapes and they cool. That's completely normal, not a sign anything went wrong. Line them up side by side rather than stacking to help them stay puffed a little longer while serving.

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Recipe

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Four puffed, fried puris on a silver tray, with a side of spiced potatoes and pickles placed nearby on a striped cloth.

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5 from 16 votes

Puri (Golden and Puffed Every Time)

My mom's puri recipe always makes golden, puffed puris. Two tricks make the difference: sooji for crispness, a touch of sugar for color.

Prep Time35

Cook Time25

Course: Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 8

Calories: 229kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Equipment

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

Recipe Video

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups whole wheat flour
▢ 2 tablespoons sooji Helps get a crispy bite and keeps the Puri to stay puffed up for a longer time.
▢ 2 teaspoons sugar For the perfect golden color.
▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
▢ 1¾ cups water or as needed
▢ 1 tablespoon oil
▢ Oil for frying about 2 cups

Instructions

Option 1: Knead the dough by hand

Add flour, sooji, sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well. Then slowly add the water a little bit at a time, mixing it in with the flour using the fingertips of your dominant hand. Keep adding water and knead until a firm dough starts to form.
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. 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.

Option 2: Knead the Dough using a stand mixer

Attach the spiral dough hook to the stand mixer. Add flour, sooji, sugar, and salt. Start the mixer at speed 2.
Slowly add water to the mixer bowl, increasing the speed to 3. Stop 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 at least 5 minutes.

Knead the dough to a firm consistency. Soft dough makes Puri oily.

Rolling Puris

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 heat.
Take one dough ball at a time and lightly roll it in the dry flour so that it is evenly covered with flour. Then roll it using a rolling pin and make a small 4-inch round puri. You can roll all the puris and line them on a parchment paper-lined tray or roll and fry simultaneously.

Note: You can skip rolling the flour in the dough if you like. Since the dough is firm, it does not stick as much to the surface.

Frying

Turn the heat for the frying pan to medium-high. 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 instantly and begins to puff up, you are good to go
Carefully slide the rolled puri into the hot oil.
Gently press down with a stainless steel slotted spatula as the puri starts to puff up. Then turn it over, pressing gently, and cook until both sides turn light golden brown.
Carefully pick up the puri with the spatula, allow the oil to drain out, and then place the Puri on a paper towel-lined tray to help absorb any remaining oil. Repeat rolling and frying the remaining Puris.

Notes

Although Puri's taste best served immediately, here is how to reheat them:

Line them up in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Place in an air fryer and air fry for 3 to 4 minutes at 300 degrees.

Nutrition

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Filed Under

Indian Flatbreads Side Dishes Dairy Free Stove Top Diwali Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Foods Indian Festival Foods

Comments

5 from 16 votes (10 ratings without comment)