Types of Indian Bread

Recently, an online website made a list of the world’s best cuisines, in which India ranked 5th. Of course, this list is very subjective. But the countries ranking above India are smaller and perhaps with lesser variety than what India offers.

The Indian food known to the world is just a small percentage of the total variety of food India offers. To prove this point, let’s only check out the variety of bread India offers. It’s a lot more than the Naan.

Indian Flatbreads

Chapati/Roti – the most basic and widely used indigenous bread is the roti or chapati. Its unleavened flatbread is made from whole wheat flour. 

Chapati

Paratha – a layered, flaky flatbread made from whole wheat flour and often stuffed with vegetables, or meat.

Paratha

Thepla – a thin, spiced flatbread made from wheat flour and typically eaten with yoghurt or pickles.

Thepla

Bhakri – Bhakri are different types of millet flatbreads

Millet

Jowar Bhakri – flatbread made from Sorghum

Jowar Bhakri

Bajra Bhakri – flatbread made from pearl millet

Bajra or Pearl Millet Bread

Nachni Bhakri – flatbread made from Ragi or Finger millet

Nachni Bhakri

Rice Bhakri – flatbread made from rice flour

Rice Flatbread

Jau ki roti – flatbread made from Barley

Barley Bread or Jau ki Roti

Makke ki roti – flatbread made from Corn

Indian Fried bread

Puri – a deep-fried, puffy bread made from whole wheat flour that is often served with spicy curry dishes.

Puri

Bhatura – a fried bread made from white flour that is often served with chana masala or other spicy vegetarian dishes.

Bhatura

Luchi – a deep-fried bread made from maida or white flour that is popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Luchi from Bengal

Vade – This is a multigrain deep-fried bread prepared in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Vade with Chicken curry

Indian Baked Bread

Naan – a leavened flatbread made from white flour prepared in the tandoor, or urn-shaped oven.

Naan made in a tandoor

Tandoori Roti – A roti made in the tandoor.

Tandoori Roti

Roomali Roti – literally means ‘Handkerchief Bread’ and is made on a convex pan.

Rumali Roti

Kulcha – a leavened bread made from white flour that is often stuffed with onions, potatoes, or paneer. Also made in the tandoor.

Kulcha with Chhole

Pav – Pav is another leavened bread baked in an oven. Brought to Western India by the Portuguese, the Pao has evolved into many different variations in Goa and Mumbai.

Goan Pao

Goan Poi

Mumbai's 'Pav' from the iconic Vada Pav

Indian Ball Bread

Litti – a ball of bread made from whole wheat flour and stuffed with gram flour, pulses mixed with herbs and spices, and baked over charcoal. It belongs to the state of Bihar.

Bihar's Litti

Baati – It is similar to Litti and is the local food of the state of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan's Baati

Each of these breads have further variations depending on innovations and regions. In conclusion, if Indian cuisine can have so much variety in just bread, imagine the number of dishes unknown to the world.

This was my list of Indian bread, let me know in the comments if I have missed some bread varieties.

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