whole wheat chapati {giveaway}

Holy snowfall, Batman!

That’s right, we had our first snow here today (well, more like a rain/snow snot — yes, snot — but snow was involved). We also had the most insane wind gusts — so insane, that my poor umbrella became a casualty. I’d show you the remains, but I maintain respect for my beloved umbrella. Just imagine a tangled mess of wires and me, once dry, now soaking wet, my bangs in a bird’s nest-like shape. It was a lovely sight, I’m sure.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to coming home tonight and cozying up with my cat, my husband, a pair of warm socks and a tasty Indian dinner I had planned, complete with chapati.

What’s chapati, you ask? Well, that was the very question I asked the husband upon his return from India when he told me it was one of the recipes he’d learned how to make abroad. But seeing as I’m the most amazing wife ever and I just happened to have a copy of the new Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day book lying around, I decided to surprise him by making it myself.

I have to say, once I opened this book and took a peek at all the delicious recipes tucked within, I wondered if chapati — a non-yeasted, whole wheat dough — was really the way to go. I mean, I knew it would be delicious and healthy (and also happens to be the fastest recipe in the entire book, bonus!), but when mine eyes came across words like “curried sweet potato, lentil and arugula pizza,” “rainbow beet pizza,” “chicken potpie pizza,” “fougasse,” “stuffed naan” and “skillet peach pie,” I wondered if I was going in the right direction. Turns out, even the simplest of recipes in this book are out of this world.

Not that I’m surprised. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is one of my go-to books for bread recipes. Having a signature no-knead bread in your recipe arsenal is a necessity, in my opinion. You know what else is a necessity? Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day. True story.

Well, good news friends. I’m giving away a copy! That way, you can make all the yummy chapati — or fougasse, or skillet peach pie — your heart desires.

So here’s the giveaway rundown. To enter, leave a comment below answering the following question: What are you thankful for this year?

Extra entries:
1. Tweet about the giveaway and attach this link: http://tinyurl.com/6qx2fvg Tell me in a separate comment that you did so.
2. Share the link above about the giveaway on your Facebook wall and tell me in a separate comment that you did so (while you’re there, become a fan of Girl Versus Dough’s Facebook page!).

And that’s it! Contest ends on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Winner will be announced Monday, November 14.

Happy giveaway!

Update: Valerie B. is our winner. Thanks for playing, everyone.

Chapati (Non-yeasted whole wheat dough)
Courtesy of Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

Yields: Six 6-inch chapatis

Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tbsp oil

Directions:
Mix together the flour, salt, oil and water in a large bowl. The dough can be used right away, but is handled best when refrigerated or sitting for at least half an hour. You can also refrigerate the dough in a lidded container and use over the next 5 days.
When ready to make chapati, preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until water droplets sizzle and skitter off the surface. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each piece into a thin circle about 1/16-inch thick. Cook each piece in cast-iron skillet on each side for about a minute, then lay directly over the flame of a burner on medium-high heat, using a pair of metal tongs to hold in place (I skipped this step because I have an electric stove, leaving me with softer, more supple, but equally delicious flatbreads). Turn the dough with the tongs until the dough is puffy; remove from heat. Repeat with remaining dough.

Full disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary review copy of Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, but that’s it. Just wanting to share the love!

Tagged as: Artisan Bread, chapati, flatbread, giveaway, India, Indian food, whole wheat