Ingredients
Milk
Egg (optional: for a heavier texture)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
White flour
Water
Butter/Ghee
This recipe has no exact measurements. Each step is visual and texture of the dough depending on feel.
1. Dissolve sugar and salt to about quarter cup OR LESS, of WARM water.
2. Add the warm water from (1) to 1 cup of room temperature milk.
3. Optional: Crack and egg and whisk the egg well. Add HALF of the whisked egg into the milk in (2).
4. Note you may not use all of the mixture in (3).
5. In a mixing bowl, pour in the white flour and slowly mix in liquid with the flour.
6. Refer to pictures step 1-17.
7. Milk as mentioned in the pictures means the milk mixture.
8. Step 1: Use a spoon to mix the milk mixture with the flour. Notice how the flour forms stringy flakes.
9. Step 2: Continue to add milk till flour till flour and milk is thoroughly mixed in. Flour from the sides of the bowl reduces.
10. Step 3: Start using hand to knead the flour till all the flour is all gone from the sides of the mixing bowl.
11. Step 4: Knead the dough and continue adding milk till flour is soft and smooth. If the dough becomes too soggy, means you added too much milk and the dough sticks to your hands and fingers. The only remedy is to start over from step 1 through 11 with some fresh flour and make a new dough. With the fresh, not soggy dough, mix in with the old soggy dough. Continue kneading.
12. Step 5: Knead till dough is semi dry and does not stick to fingers or hands.
13. Step 6: Test the dough for elasticity. This is important. If the dough breaks on stretching, means you have not kneaded enough and dough is still hard when you press it. This means, you need to add and drip in some more milk to the dough. Continue kneading till dough is semi dry.
14. Step 7: If the dough stretches as in this picture, then you have achieved the right elasticity. Softness is a given when you can stretch as in this picture.
15. Step 8: Continue with stretching and twirling. Knead back into a ball and stretch and twirl again. Do this a few times.
16. Step 9: Let the dough rest for a few hours at room temperature. Don’t leave overnight at room temperature because if you live in a humid environment, the dough is susceptible to mildew.
17. Ready to eat. Step 10: Use a rolling pin and stretch the dough on a large cutting board. Roll it as thin as possible. If you are skilled, you can twirl the dough in the air like the pizza maker to get the dough thin. When satisfied with the thinness, spread the butter on the dough as shown.
18. Step 11: Start folding and rolling the dough as shown. Leave as much air pockets, when folding and rolling. You don’t want the dough folded and rolled too tightly. By rolling and folding loosely and leaving air pockets, this ensures flakiness of the prata.
19. Step 12: Stretch the dough as shown in picture labeled Step 7. You can only do this once. Stretch the dough as much as possible, without breaking it. Stretching the dough makes the rolled and folded layers even thinner.
20. Step 13: Put on the cutting board and curl the 2 ends of the stretch dough. The dough will spring back to a shorter length, because of its elasticity. When curling, carefully stretch the dough again.
21. Step 14: Stack the 2 curls on top of each other.
22. Step 15: Flatten and press down on the dough. Rest the prata for a few minutes
23. Step 16: When ready to fry, flatten the dough again. NO MORE KNEADING.
24. Step 17: Melt a good amount of butter/ghee to frying pan. As you fry, use the ladle to press and flatten. Flip the prata, press and flatten again. Do this till prata is crisp. Fry in butter/ghee for best texture and taste.
FINAL RESULT: Crispy outside. Flaky, thinly layered and soft inside. Just like Casuarina at Upper Thomson/Yio Chu Kang in Singapore.
