Indian wheat is high in protein and belongs to the aestivum variety used by everyone in the world for making great bread. So whole wheat bread loaves in India should work right? Why my atta bread just doesn’t work the way I want it to? Why is it dense and crumbly? I used to bake good soft and fluffy 100% percent whole wheat breads when I was abroad and suddenly after moving back to India, the same recipe would give me horrified loaves. I wanted to know why. After a lot of research I am posting this article so it might be helpful to all bread bakers in India. The culprit to bad loaves is the flour. It is all about the unique milling process in India that is different from the rest of the world. So lets first try to understand how Indian milling is done.
The milling process:
Indian wheat flour is mostly ground in stone mills popularly called as chakkis. Chakki is nothing but a pair of stones, of which, one is stationery and other is a rotating stone. Stone mills generate considerable heat due to friction. The heat causes what is called as STARCH DAMAGE. It also results in considerable damage to the protein in comparison to other milling techniques. The chakki atta is preferred more than the roller mill atta for the texture and taste of the Chapati/Roti (flat bread of India). Indian atta is a very very finely milled wheat flour. It works wonderfully well for making Indian flat breads and chakki is the most preferred milling process for indian breads. Stone grinding breaks the starch sufficiently to release extra sweetness while burning it slightly to give added flavor to Indian flat breads. Both methods of milling generate heat. Roller mills generate more heat than chakki and thereby some nutrition and vitamins are lost. But it has less damage to the starch and protein in the flour as it cuts the flour into small particles. But Chakki alters the starch (the force is intense) which is not good for western bread making but great for indian bread chapati/roti.
So what happens in chakki milling?
Roller milling results in 5% to 6% starch damage whereas chakki milling results in 11% to 13% starch damage. Let’s say protein in the flour on an average accounts for 10% of flour weight. But 70% is starch. Its equally important like the protein. Its important to understand that they make up for more than 50% of the dough volume. Its important that it works with the gluten chain when formed to tenderize it. When baked, the starch absorbs the water and gets fat or swollen. The moisture absorption is more in chakki flour than in normal whole wheat flour. So what? It means that you need to alter the liquid ingredients of the recipe as almost all the recipes for whole wheat bread uses traditional wheat flour. Because of this starch damage and protein loss, breads made out of 100% chakki atta is dense and dry like the picture below.
Also Indian wheat is light in color! Why?
India produces mostly 3 kinds of wheat.
95% “triticum aestivum” or the common bread wheat
4% “triticum durum” or the pasta wheat
1% “triticum dicoccum” or the emmer wheat (also known as khapli,samba godumai,diabetic wheat) – India is the largest cultivator of emmer wheat in the world.
Indian Gov portal says, Indian wheat is largely medium hard, medium protein wheat which is similar to the USA Hard white wheat. So what is whole hard white wheat? Its the same like any other wheat but has no major genes for bran color. For example Hard red winter wheat has upto 3 bran genes. That is the reason why indian atta is lighter in color and milder in flavor. Experts are of the opinion that the two kinds of wheat are the same nutritionally. Most of the nutrition differences among wheat varieties are driven by environmental conditions, such as weather, soil composition, drought etc..
The famous and unique Indian Sharbati wheat
The protein in wheat will be higher when there is drought and thats where our Indian sharbati atta rocks!
What is Indian Sharbati Atta? Sharbati atta comes exclusively from the state of Madhya Pradesh. Note that all wheat coming from MP is NOT Sharbati. The Sharbati is a rain-fed phenomenon where there’s no organized, large-scale irrigation. The high potash content in the soil, low humidity and rain irrigation results in wheat that is naturally 1-2 per cent higher in protein content than the normal 10-12 percent elsewhere. Sharbati belongs to the aestivum genre of wheat, the common bread wheat.
So how do we get a decent whole wheat bread loaf out of atta?
Grinding your own wheat flour can help make decent wheat loaves. You can grind your wheat berries in a regular roller mill. It was an epiphany when I held a good whole wheat sandwich loaf that was not dense. I have a toddler son who will refuse to eat bread if its not fluffy. So I add a little bit of vital wheat gluten to make it “wonder bread” fluffy.
References:
On food and cooking – Harold McGee,Peter Reinhart – whole grain baking, Larousse gastronomique, Bread Bible – Rose Levy beranbaum, farmer.gov.in/cropstaticswheat.html, www.google.com/patents/us6098905, india2012.icc.or.at/webfm_send/29 www.aaccnet.org/publications/cc/backissues/1962/documents/chem39_155.pdf, indiatoday.intoday.in/story/grains+of+gold/1/1561.html, www.apeda.gov.in, www.muehlenchemie.de, wholegrainscouncil.org, king arthur flour.
Can I use chalk I atta(pilsbury)?
Sorry typing error. I meant chakki atta
Excellent Madam!. Learned lot from your article.
Madam myself VINIT Shashikant Sadavarte I am from nashik I have problem by eating chapatis from last two years I am not eating chapatis by eating chapatis I would get digestion problem it is very hard to digest my contact number 7755914289 can you tell me how the chapatis is made so it does not affect my digestive system it feels like elastic in colonel plz help me
Looks like you have gluten intolerance. Please see a doctor.
Hello! i really liked your post. Please share some more
Thank you for an eye opener of an article! I bake with atta flour, and have found that grain milled at small local mills or bought from smaller stores just don’t have the gluten levels needed for fluffy loaves. However, atta from large brands like Ashirwad and Pillsbury work beautifully. I had always attributed it to a lack of temperature control with smaller brands, and had actually bought an ancient stone chakki to be able to mill wheat slowly… but your roller mill theory makes a lot more sense. I suppose the bigger players must be importing their machinery and turning out flour that is closer in gluten levels to what bread needs.
Thank you for this post, I am actually a wheat flour miller in the US and Atta flour is not something I’m familiar with. I just had a customer call and ask me about it and how to use it in tortillas. Your explanation of the Indian milling process and the variety of wheat is incredibly informative.
Thank you!!
Thank you Jill!
So basically “Atta” is whole wheat by default? In comparison to white flour?
It is wrong to say that Roller Mills generate more heat than chakkies. Roller Mills remain much cooler because tow rollers are always apart
Hi, thank you for sharing this with us with a detailed explanation
I am unable to find wheat gluten . If I use a bread improver instead will it work equally well ?
yes. it will work.
What a great article! I am in the quest to reduce plastic waste so I have decided to only buy from my organic bulk store here in San Diego CA. I am trying to figure out how to have my US generated whole wheat flour mimic the Indian Atta. So far all the rotis I have made from the whole wheat purchased from the bulk store have turned out to be hard and unappetizing. Any ideas on how I can reverse what this article says and make soft healthy (I don’t want to compromise and use all purpose flour) rotis from US made whole wheat floor? Your input is much appreciated.
Very informative article Suguna. Thank you!
Thanks!
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Thank you!
OK, just read your recipe. Here are your mistakes:
1. You use store bought yeast. You need to use homemade yeast (mother) which imparts WAY more flavor to the bread.
2. You only kneaded the bread for 4 minutes. You have to knead for minimum of 10 minutes in the mixer to properly develop the gluten. After 10 minutes in the mixer you knead by hand so you develop the “feel” of what good dough is supposed to feel like. After the dough rises (not double- this is foolish for weak (low gluten) flour then you knead by hand before forming into a loaf to further develop the gluten. I would explain the science behind the kneading process, but I don’t want to confuse you. In summary:
1. High gluten white flour – less kneading and let it double before forming into a loaf
2. Whole wheat or low gluten flours – more kneading and form into a loaf after rising about 25% or not at all. The problem with store bought flour (in addition to not having flavor) is that it rises too quickly so the dough does not have a chance to just rest. You can actually allow the dough to rest for a couple of hours without so much rising if you use a weaker (homemade) yeast. This way, the dough still has energy for a good rise without adding more vital wheat gluten.
Normally I charge $$$ for such advice, but I like you so I give some for free. All I can say is that if you really want to understand how to make bread, it is very possible to spend years in doing research. Fortunately, even a normal person can make easy recipes with no such knowledge- good luck!
Actually I used “Swarna Chakki Fresh Atta Stone Ground”. It’s probably not real Indian Atta, but regular flour made to look like real Atta. That would explain my results as well. Anyhow, it makes great bread and great naan, and it’s as close as I can get here in America.
Just made me a loaf of bread from Atta flour. It came out great. Atta, egg, milk, salt, and yogurt. So, really, don’t know why you had problems. Maybe you use store bought yeast, while I use homemade yeast (mother). Anyhow, most people who read these posts don’t make any bread anyhow, so a little misinformation won’t hurt them.
I use the chakki ground atta, which ‘from your article’ explains why my ww bread turns out dense. Are roller mills available for the home? I would like to get one. I live in Bombay.
I am not sure if home mills are available. sorry.
Hi Suguna, thank you very much for this informative article. I always wondered why the Atta looks different (colour) from the whole wheat flour. I use 3/4 cup Atta and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour to make Rotis. Enjoy your baking. Btw, I also like Ilayaraja but MSV is my favorite(that’s probably due to my age). Thanks Sanjeev
Thanks Sanjeev.
You’re crazy. The so-called ‘whole wheat bread’ slices in the west are full of starch and cause unhealthy fat gain. Indian atta has been used to make healthy rotis in India for thousands upon thousands of years, unless you’re saying that ancient atta making techniques were different than now. There is nothing healthy about bread. Roti is literally whole wheat flour and water – nothing unhealthy.
I have never said in the article that roti is unhealthy. I have just talked about the milling techniques. Whole wheat bread and roti are all made using the same wheat kernel. I do not know how chapati is healthy but whole wheat bread ( no additional chemicals added ) is not.
I think the yeast in bread makes it unhealthy.That is why people are trying to get old fashioned sour dough bread baked from scratch. The leavening agent sour dough starter takes a few days to ferment.For diabetic patients sour dough bread is best. chapati comes next best. Thank you for all the useful information on whole wheat. You rock Suguna.
Thanks for the detailed information.
If I want to make my own atta in USA what kind of wheat to buy?
Wow thanks for the information. Surprisingly my mom who is a curious person when it comes to cooking. Had bought a pack of whole wheat flour from the market in Hong Kong. N she tried making chapathi with it. It was a disaster, any idea why is that.
I have seen durum and soft wheat in HK. Again the flour might not be chakki ground. So chapatis might be hard.
Great article!
May I know where can you I get the normal flour and also high protien floor. I want to make white bread.
Many thanks
I have also failed twice in making whole wheat bread.. Thinking of the reason.. Your post has answered many of my questions.. Still I have a few..
Does “grinding in roller mill” mean the regular rice mills in tamilnadu ?
Have you ever used wheat bran ? have you ever attempted to make bread out of it ?
I have used bran in making muffins but not bread. Yes the roller mills I meant was the rice mills!
Hi,
I really loved this blog…Thanks for sharing such an informative blog…it contains lot information..and now i got a better idea about how the milling process will carried out and i also likes the recipe that you shared…your presentation is nice..
Hey… been trying to figure this out for a long time too… And of course the flour in Punjab is different to east up… thanks for the insight
its very informative blog…Thanks Suguna for sharing such a wonderful blog..i tried your recipe with the Best Chakki Atta and it came out well..
Very well written and informative! As a Pakistani living in the Philippines and trying to find the right flour for my mother’s visit, I have to commend you for the insight and detailed information. If you have a blog, please add me!
Would love to try it. What is the best name brand to buy?
can any body let me know that how we can make the multigrain atta? That mean what other ingrediants should include in 1 kg wheat atta.
Please/…
Karan
you can add gram flour (besan), barley powder and maize flour.mix as per require taste.
Hi Suguna,
Thank you for a very informative post — there are so many blog authors all over the web who ask for adding “vital wheat gluten” to Indian atta but frankly no one explained the science 🙂
Could you pls tell me where to get this “vital wheat gluten”, possibly in Bangalore ? Any information on a brand that has worked for you would be very useful. Thanks once again 🙂
You can get it in General food additives, Seshadripuram. there is no brand here.
Oh this is so annoying. I was wondering what so many different flours was and everyone here bakes with maida and nothing else. It’s tiring to see india taking so long to catch up with the availability of products. Thank you for this Suguna. you’re a lifesaver.
Hi Suguna,
This is such a thoughtful and well researched post and any home baker from India will thoroughly relate to it.I, like many other enthusiastic new breed of home bakers, was in search of that elusive variety of wheat (flour) and proportions and cheeky add ins that would give me a loaf as soft and fluffy as the not so healthy maida bread.i always used to buy sharbati atta of the aashirwad series but never satisfied with the results.i don’t add vital wheat gluten too, to the dough.
But lately I discovered that the organic whole wheat flour of 24 Mantra gives excellent results even without adding vital wheat gluten or part maida.
Thank you very much for this post!!
Thats really nice to know Varsha.
Hi Suguna or should I call you Kannamma,
I am also an avid cook and recently bought my Komo Fidibus XL mill and was hunting for the right kind of Wheat to use for my chappati when I came across your article. Very interesting and well researched and thanks for the same.
We should stay connected. I like Japanese knifes, Masamoto, Aritsugu and Sakai Takayuki are my favs, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and my new mentor is Marc Vetri.
Thanks Ram. You got some great knives there.
Samma research!
We tried baking bread last week and faced the same problem. This article gives a lot of clarity. Thanks
Good day. Iam planing to make ready to cook chapathies for costumers. Need your valuable advice for selecting kind of atta, please suggest.
Sorry, I have no experience in bulk cooking and handling of chapatis. You may hire a hotel/food consultant.
My attempts to make an artisanal no knead bread with a crusty top using Indian Sehore whole wheat flour have been disastrous.
All the recipes in US websites use Arthur Mill or other brand whole wheat flour.
I experimented with different types of wheat flour and adding gluten too. I read up a bit on flour behaviour but did not get anywhere.
Your article is an eye opener. Will try Sharbati whole wheat flour and report back. If you have any other suggestions do let me know.
Thank you Shankar. Try getting the wheat berries and grind it with your local miller. That will help to a great extent.
Hi Shankar,
I would recommend using 24 Mantra’s organic whole wheat flour if you are okay with store bought ready-milled flour.It makes awesomely soft, very LIGHT( for a whole wheat loaf) , fluffy and airy bread loaves and slices with an appetisingly crackly sound. But I should say that I’ve not tried baking a no-knead bread.although,apparently the flour is made from wheat berries of the durum variety.
I’ve tried baking with the sharbati flour (again not no-knead)before with acceptable results. But never satisfying.
Ps: i bake my loaves with a high hydration ,very sticky dough of about 80-82pc.
Thats a very useful piece of information!! All my doubts about wheat milling cleared
Loved your very informative article on wheat.
Is Aashirwad atta good for making bread?
Thanks
Sunita Mehra
Sure. But you will have to add vital gluten to get airy bread.
Hi Suguna ,
Excellent and well researched article. I need a favor from you. I am planning to buy domestic flour mill as I no longer like rotis made by ready flours.I do not know if it is psychological , I get a weird smell when roti puffs. I understand that there are many models in the market based on the grinding technology. Now that you have done so much study on this , I would like to use your knowledge to buy the appropriate mill. I request you kindly to help me. I have gathered some information on the models. you can reply back to me on my email.
thank you and look forward for a favorable reply
Thanks for writing in. But I have never used a domestic mill. Sorry about that.
Thanks. Even if you have not used domestic mill , I am sure you will be able to give some inputs if I give you information about the grinding technologies of different models. How can I get in touch with you one-on-one ? ? ?
You can use the contact form!
I use nutrimill for grinding wheat, rye and spelt (others are possible) and I am very satisfied with it. There are many outlets where you can get it. And there are also hand grinders. I can grind 1 kg of wheat berries in about 4-5 minutes.
Do your “price” research and choose.
Hi Aparna,
I was facing a similar issue and recently bought Granamill. It uses traditional stone grinders for grinding grains. Till now, I am satisfied with the quality of flour.
Abhay
Only yourself and the devil knows why you are struggling to make yeast blown, uncooked item called bread and spoiling your intestines causing a plethora of diseases ( many still undiagnosed).Thousands of years ago our ancestors perfected the art of preparing rotis and chapathis. Pl.switch to these and keep everyone in your family healthy.
Hi Suguna, thanks for the interesting and informative post. I am a novice farmer, looking into grinding my own flour and pressing my own oil — that’s how I stumbled on your blog. I’ll definitely come back for more! Btw, my grandmother was called Kannammal, it’s such a sweet name!
Thank you Harini. Hope you have good success in grinding your own flour.
I’m not very expert at bread making, but one thing which seems to work well for me is adding mashed overripe bananas to the dough. I don’t mean banana bread or a fruit loaf, but ordinary salty bread. It has a nice fragrance and is quite soft. I use Navadarshanam atta, which is stone ground and much coarser than the run-of-the-mill (pun intended) atta you get in the shops. This is great for chapattis, but I’m still experimenting with bread made of various combinations of atta, millets, oats, etc. They all come out, as you say, rather dense and crumby. In your experience, which makes better bread — coarse or fine flour?
I have had great success using Atta both regular and Sharbati in the ‘no knead’ recipes. I use below
2 cups atta
1 cup all purpose
1/4 tsp yeast
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 and 3/4 cup water
Mix till all incorporated above and
cover and put aside at room temperature for around 11-18 hours. Then with liberally floured hands and surface mix
and make a tight ball and put seam side down and cover till oven preheats at 450f for around 1/2 hour with a covered Dutch oven. Cast iron or stainless steel are ok. Now transfer the dough still seam side down to a parchment paper. Slash any shape(X, crosshatch or heart shape). Transfer carefully to the preheated pot. Cover and bake for 30 mins. Now uncover and continue baking for 20/25 mins till deep golden crust is formed. Cool 1/2 hour on a rack and enjoy. Don’t forget you need a serrated knife for cutting the bread
Thank you Suguna! Very informative piece, I never figured why my Rotis with US flour never came out well!
Hello
Thanks for this excellent post. I was just reading up about how to make 100% WW bread in Bangalore when I came across your article. I have a flour mill nearby, and I also have 24 Mantra Organic 100% WW atta. Which one do you suggest I try so I don’t fail miserably. We love our Trader Joes WW White bread but sadly “brown” bread in Bangalore is just the color, nothing whole wheat 🙁
Try grinding in your flour mill.
Wow Sugs…so much details….very very informative
Hi Suguna.
Thank you for writing such a useful and fascinating article. I have struggled to make decent bread in Goa for a couple of years now and it always came out crumbly like a cake. I bought the atta with the highest protein content I could find (when store bought) and mixed it with varying proportions of maida, but the results were always the same, and I resigned myself to adding Vital Wheat gluten. What I couldn’t understand was how come Goans make such good bread! There is a history of leavened bread here and whether fluffy white or wholemeal, it has good crust and texture. I will see if I can find Sharbati Atta locally.
kind regards
Ian
Ian, can I ask where you are buying the Vital Wheat gluten in Goa?
Thanks and kind regards
Dear Suguna,
I am a vegan Brit who has been teaching health overseas for 25 years. Since turning to a plant-based diet over 10 years ago, I replaced my bread machine with my hands, and now make the most wonderful bread. I currently live in Singapore, where I purchase ‘HouseBrand’ 100% wholewheat Atta. It makes the most fabulous bread ever. However, a month ago when the NTUC was out of stock, I purchased the Aashivaad flour (as pictured on your site) from a little shop owner and tried that. The results were awful and completely inedible. I had produced a gummy, gooey, rubbery, inside to the bread that would not cook no matter how long it stayed in the oven. Was this due to the protein and starch damage referred to in your article? I think I remember encountering this once before in China, with a local flour I had tried.
My family will move to Dhaka in August and I am worried that I will not be able to get a flour that replicates my success with the ‘Housebound’ atta. I even take this flour with me when I travel for holidays.
Regards
Neil
Hi Neil, The chakki ground flour doesn’t work well for bread. But if you do not have a choice, then adding a little vital gluten might help. The other option would be to get the wheat kernels from the shop and then mill it in a nearby flour mill. Many households in India grind their own flour in a nearby mill. You should be able to locate one in your neighborhood for sure. Wishes with your move. Hoping things fall in place for you. Suguna
What is difference between chakki atta & Whole Wheat atta
chakki atta is usually whole wheat atta. Chakki refers to the way its been ground.
Hey Suguna,
A very well researched and beautifully written and article. Goes out to show your passion really!
I live in Bangalore too and would like to connect with you. I write a blog called notestoself.in and would like to interview and feature you for a new section i’m starting.
Could you please inbox me contact details on [email protected] if interested?
Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
-Varsha
You can write to me via the contact page here Varsha.
http://www.kannammacooks.com/contact/
Great article, thanks! I live in Malaysia, I’m from the U.S., and married to an Indian. So I use a lot of atta flour to make chapattis and also for baking. I, like you, have found that it does not always work perfectly. As in your recipe, I usually add in some wheat gluten. I find that it works really well in cakes and cookies, though. I always use atta flour in cakes and our friends are always pleasantly surprised to find that cakes can be made healthier but still be tasty! Thanks for your explanation about the sharbati atta. Actually that’s how I found this page because after 12 years here in Malaysia I found some sharbati atta flour at the store for the first time and I wasn’t sure what was different about it so I looked it up. Now I know! I bought it, so I’ll see whether it is actually tastier or not.
Thank You Honey! Sharbati Atta Chapatis are really nice. try it out sometime!