Masala Baati

A variation of simple Rajasthani baatis...

Serves: 8-10 pieces
Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Flour (Atta): 1 cup
• Besan/ Gram flour: 1/4 cup
• Sooji/ Semolina: 1 tbsp 
• Melted ghee: 1/2 cup (to be used while kneading dough)
• Melted ghee: 3-4 tbsp (for brushing the baatis)
• Fennel pwd/ Saunf pwd: 2 tsp (crushed coarsely)
• Ajwain/ Carom seeds: 2 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Baking soda: a pinch (optional) (Though it is not used traditionally)
• For Stuffing:
• Potatoes: 2-3 (boiled, peeled and mashed/ chopped)
• Peas: 1/4 cup (boiled)
• Salt: to taste
• Red chilli pwd: to taste
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Oil/ ghee: 1 tsp

Method:

• For Stuffing: 
• Heat oil/ ghee in pan. Add potatoes, peas, salt, red chilli pwd and garam masala. Mix well. Cook on low flame for 1-2 mins. Keep aside. 

• In a flat pan, add whole wheat flour, besan, sooji, fennel pwd, ajwain, salt and baking soda. Mix all the dry ingredients well.Add melted ghee (1/2 cup) and knead a hard dough (Make sure the dough is not too hard). Use a little water, if needed while kneading the dough. (I used ~1/2 cup of water while kneading the dough).

• Lightly oil the top surface of the dough and keep it aside for 7- 10 mins.
• Lightly grease the baking tray with ghee.
• Preheat the oven at 180 deg C.
• Now, make a lemon sized round ball from the dough. Make a very small chapati/ poori by spreading the dough in the palms.
• Put 1 tsp of stuffing in the center and cover from all the sides to make a ball again.
• Lightly grease all the baatis with ghee. 
• Place them on the baking dish and bake for 30-35 mins till the baatis are brown and hard (from outside). Keep flipping the baatis after every 10 mins for even baking of the baatis.
• For the brown colour of the baatis, you can use the browing function in the oven once the baatis are cooked .
• You will see cracks on the surface of  cooked baatis.
• Once the baatis are ready, brush baatis with melted ghee. 
• Serve with Panchmel daal and some onions.

PS:

• Traditionally, once the baatis are cooked, they are dipped in melted ghee till they are served. But now-a-days, everyone is so health conscious that we just prefer to lightly brush with melted ghee :)
• You can increase/ decrease the timings of the baking as every oven varies. The bottom line is to cook the baatis evenly and they should be brown in colour. Also the baatis should be hard from outside.
• Also, you can use any other stuffing of your choice- Matar paneer/ aloo matar paneer etc...