By Krati Purwar
May 17, 2025
When you are a newbie at making parathas, they often turn out flat, crispy, and inedible. Such flatbread can scratch your gums and even leave you bleeding. Follow the tips ahead to make mom-style soft parathas.
Always use lukewarm water for kneading instead of cold liquid. It will help the gluten to develop, resulting in soft parathas, even if you eat them after 2 hours.
Many people make the error of rolling the dough right after kneading it. The dough needs to rest for at least 20 minutes for the gluten to develop and relax.
Once you have kneaded the dough, grease the surface with ghee or oil. You can also add the fat at the last stage of kneading to prepare a soft dough.
Kneading is an art which you will understand with time. If you take 5-7 minutes to knead, the dough will stretch well while rolling and result in soft flatbread.
Overcooking parathas will make them tight and crispy. Once both sides are brown, take it off the medium flame and store it in a casserole dish.
Paratha is often cooked on a flat or slightly curved griddle. It lays flat, so you don’t have to press hard while cooking. Gentle pressing will do the job.
Paratha needs to be subjected to a uniform temperature while cooking. The flame should be medium. If it is low or high, you will end up cooking papad instead of paratha.