How to Make Soft Phulkas at Home
Master making oil-free, soft, balloon-puffed pulkas using a classic direct-flame wire grill stand with the right dough hydration and flame control.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Large mixing bowl
- ✓ Rolling pin (belan)
- ✓ Rolling board (chakla)
- ✓ Flat tawa or cast iron griddle
- ✓ Stainless steel pulka wire grill stand
- ✓ Flat metal kitchen tongs (chimta)
- ✓ Insulated roti casserole with cotton cloth
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 2 cups fine whole wheat flour (atta)
- ✓ 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
- ✓ 1/2 tsp salt
- ✓ 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ✓ 1/3 cup dry flour for dusting
- ✓ Ghee or butter for brushing (optional)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Position the pulka wire grill flat and balanced over the gas burner grates before turning on the flame.
- • Use long-handled stainless steel tongs to handle the hot bread over open flames.
- • Keep your face and hands away from escaping steam when the puffed pulka collapses.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Knead and Rest the Dough
Combine the wheat flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Gradually pour lukewarm water while mixing with your fingers, kneading for 5 to 7 minutes until you form a soft, supple, non-sticky dough. Smear 1 teaspoon of oil over the dough surface, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- • Dough indents softly when pressed with a finger and bounces back slowly
- • Smooth outer surface with no dry flour streaks
- • Adding all the water at once, making the dough overly sticky
- • Under-kneading, which prevents gluten development and stops the pulka from puffing
Divide and Roll into Dough Balls
Uncover the rested dough and give it a quick 30-second knead. Pinch off small portions and roll them between your palms to form smooth, lemon-sized round balls roughly 1.5 inches in diameter. Keep the balls covered under the damp cloth while working so they do not dry out.
- • Smooth, crack-free spherical dough balls
- • Uniform sizing across all portions
- • Leaving cracks along the ball edges, which causes tears during rolling
Roll the Pulkas Evenly
Dip one dough ball lightly into dry dusting flour and place it on the rolling board. Roll gently from the center outwards using light, uniform wrist pressure, allowing the disc to rotate naturally into a 5-to-6-inch circle. Avoid pressing down heavily on the edges so thickness remains consistent throughout.
- • Even round disc of uniform thickness from center to perimeter
- • Minimal loose dry flour adhering to the surface
- • Using excess dry flour, which burns on the tawa and turns the pulka bitter
- • Rolling uneven edges that prevent steam from expanding the pulka
Par-Cook on the Tawa
Preheat your dry tawa over medium-high heat. Place the rolled dough disc gently onto the hot tawa and cook undisturbed for 15 to 20 seconds until faint micro-bubbles appear on top. Flip with tongs and cook the second side for 25 to 30 seconds until small brown spots emerge on the underside.
- • Tiny raised bubbles appearing on the top surface after the first 15 seconds
- • Light golden-brown speckles distributed on the flipped side
- • Overcooking the first side, which hardens the dough and stops the puffing process
- • Cooking on a cold tawa, resulting in dense, leathery bread
Puff on the Direct-Flame Wire Grill
Set your pulka wire grill over high flame on an adjacent burner. Transfer the par-cooked pulka immediately from the tawa onto the wire grill, placing the first-cooked side facing down toward the flame. The bread will swell into a round balloon within 3 to 5 seconds; quickly flip with tongs for 1 second and take it off the fire.
- • Complete spherical balloon puff within seconds of touching the flame grid
- • Light charred speckles on both outer surfaces
- • Leaving the pulka on the direct flame for more than 4 seconds, causing it to burn
- • Placing the wrong side down on the flame, which inhibits complete ballooning
Brush, Vent, and Store
Transfer the puffed pulka immediately into an insulated casserole lined with a clean cotton cloth. Lightly brush the top surface with ghee or butter if desired, and fold the cloth over to absorb condensation while keeping the pulka warm and pliable. Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.
- • Pulka deflates gently without turning soggy
- • Bread remains soft, paper-thin, and flexible when folded
- • Placing hot pulkas directly onto plastic or cold metal, making the bottom soggy with steam condensation
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by SimpleGhar Telugu — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Pulka wire grill? Direct burner flame using stainless steel tongs
- No Insulated casserole? Lidded container or plate lined with a clean cotton towel
- No Rolling board (Chakla)? Clean flat countertop or large smooth cutting board