Whole Wheat Phulka or Pulka, is a puffed-up, very soft flatbread commonly made in Indian households. Cooking the Roti directly over the flame gives it an amazing flavor and texture.
Whole Wheat Phulka, is not only just found in Indian cuisine, but can be found in other Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines by different names. They can be paired with any subzis to make a full meal.
Chapathi and Pulka is highly interchanged, but I have to mention that Chapathi is pan-cooked whereas Phulka is cooked directly on a flame. This cooking technique gives it a smoky and slightly charred flavor which is what distinguishes it from the other similar kind of flatbread.
The Pulkas can be loosely called roti as well and it is one of the very common dinner items that I make at home. The Whole Wheat Phulka needs just a handful of ingredients and is very simple to make. It can be served with a variety of side dishes like Methi Dal, Paneer Do Pyaza.
It also works well with just some spicy achaar (pickle) and yogurt. Talking about the ingredients, I have to mention that for the past couple of years, I have been adding flax meal to my Whole Wheat Phulka dough. This is one of the best vehicles to include flax meal which makes it even healthier.
It is totally optional and is not used traditionally. I cooked the Phulkas directly on the flame and also by using the wire grill. I find using the wire grill easier as the pulkas can be flipped easily.
If directly cooking on the flame, we have to use tongs to flip it, that at times tears the phulka and the steam that it releases can be quite hurtful, and also the puffiness of the phulka goes off.
On the wire grill, I flip it with a swift motion and it works great. It does take a little bit of practice, but trust me, it makes you feel like a professional chef in the kitchen. My husband has become a pro at this and he flips it when I am rolling the dough.
Preparation time - 15 minutes plus about 30 minutes of resting time
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Ingredients to make Whole Wheat Phulka - Makes 12
- Whole wheat flour / Aata - 2 ½ cups
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Oil - 1 TBSP
- Flax meal - 2 tablespoon (optional)
- Warm water - as needed to make the dough
Procedure to make Pulka -
- In a wide bowl, add the wheat flour, salt, and flax meal (if using) and mix them.
- Slowly add warm water to the flour mixture and start forming a dough.
- Add the oil towards the end and knead the dough until it is soft and smooth. I usually knead it for about 5 minutes. The dough should not be too soft or too stiff.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You can let it rest for longer than 30 minutes. I usually let it rest for a couple of hours but at least 30 minutes is preferable.
- Heat a pan or a griddle on medium-high heat.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized balls.
- Dust a dough ball with sufficient flour and start rolling it using a rolling pin. Keep the thickness of the dough as evenly as possible.
- Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. I usually roll a couple and then start cooking them on the side. If you are a beginner, roll a few and then cook them.
- Place the rolled dough on the hot pan and let it cook for a minute or so until bubbles appear. Flip it on the other side and let it stay on the pan for about 30 seconds.
- Now transfer this directly onto the flame or on a steel wire grill placed over the flame (like the one I am using).
- Let the phulkas puff up and then flip it once and let it cook on the other side as well. This does not take long at all and is done within a few seconds.
- Remove the phulka from the flame and keep it warm in between kitchen cloth or in a covered container.
- Smear a little bit of fresh ghee when warm and serve.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
E for Emirati Khameer
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme
H for Himbasha
I for Indian Fry Bread
J for Janta Roti
K for Ka’ak
L for Lepinja
M for Mahjouba
N for Norwegian Crisp Bread
O for Onion and Poppy Seed Pletzel
P for Pol Roti
Q for Qutab
R for Roomali Roti
S forSamoon
T for Taftan bread
U for Uyghur flatbread
V for Veechu Parotta
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Recipe
Whole Wheat Phulka | Pulka | Roti
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Whole wheat flour / Aata
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Flax meal optional
- Warm water as needed to make the dough
Instructions
- In a wide bowl, add the wheat flour, salt and flax meal (if using) and mix them.
- Slowly add warm water to the flour mixture and start forming a dough.
- Add the oil towards the end and knead the dough until it is soft and smooth. I usually knead it for about 5 minutes. The dough should not be too soft or too stiff.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You can let it rest for longer than 30 minutes. I usually let it rest for couple of hours but at least 30 minutes is preferable.
- Heat a pan or a griddle on medium high heat.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls.
- Dust a dough ball with sufficient flour and start rolling it using a rolling pin. Keep the thickness of the dough as even as possible.
- Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. I usually roll a couple and then start cooking them on the side. If you are a beginner, roll a few and then cook them.
- Place the rolled dough on the hot pan and let it cook for a minute or so until bubbles appear. Flip it on the other side and let it stay on the pan for about 30 seconds.
- Now transfer this directly on to the flame or on a steel wire grill placed over the flame (like the one I am using).
- Let the phulkas puff up and then flip it once and let it cook on the other side as well. This does not take long at all and is done within few seconds.
- Remove the phulka from the flame and keep it warm in between kitchen cloth or in a covered container.
- Smear a little bit of fresh ghee when warm and serve.
Lata Lala says
As per your suggestion Sandhya, adding flax meal to whole wheat fulka worked wonders for me. Now it's a regular affair at my place. Thanks for sharing this.
Aarthi says
I used Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Flour to make the phulkas, it was so soft and smooth.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Wonderful! Glad the pulkas came out soft 🙂
Sowmya says
Such a classic dish Sandhya and the idea of adding flaxseeds is fabulous....perfect way to get the family to eat it. The Phulkas look so soft and delicious!!
Padmajha PJ says
I used to make this for MIL. Loved that puffed up Phulka.You have made it all the more healthier by adding flax meal!!Superb !
code2cook says
excellent I had this to make but here we have an electric burner. this phulka will puff up only with flame burner. loved this.
Renu says
I so much Miss this, as I do not have a direct flame burner. Your roti/phulka looks perfectly done and puffed up.
Srivalli Jetti says
The puffed Phulkas look amazing Sandhya, so very nicely done.. We love this for dals enjoy it hot!
Mayuri Patel says
So soft and yummy and cannot imagine life without phulkas or rotis. Whenever we travel and try out different cuisines, it nice but after a few days tend to miss our rotis.
preeti garg says
This phulka looks so perfectly cooked and soft .. goes with any ggravy or everyday side dish.
M.Gayathri Raani says
Awesome Sandhya. I love these soft puffed up phulkas. I used to make them regularly and as you mentioned it would be tough to make it on the direct flame. Even I used a grill to make it easily.
Vaishali Sabnani says
Beautifully puffed Phulkas ! Rolling is an art , if rolling is not perfect the phulka will never puff .
Next comes the roasting , kudos your hubby helps and has mastered this art . We normally also do it on the naked fire without tearing , but if it is a Sindhi Fulko then it is roasted just on the tawa .
Flax seed meal is a wonderful healthy addition to the flour for phulkas .
harini says
This is my everyday phulka sans the ghee/butter. I do it on the naked flame and manage without tearing it and the puffed up phulkas are to die for! You nailed them to perfection.
Priya Suresh says
Never get bored of phulkas, just love these rotis with some dal. One of my favourite combination. Adding flaxseed meal sounds very brilliant in the dough Sandhya.