Flatbreads are mostly controlled by four things: flour, water, leavening and fat. Heat and resting time matter too. Once you know what each one does, you can make most flatbreads without a recipe.
When wheat flour meets water and gets worked, its proteins form gluten, a stretchy network. More protein gives more gluten, which means more chew, more stretch and better gas-trapping. Less protein gives a softer, more tender result.
| Flour | Protein (approx) | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain flour | 9-11% | Soft, tender, moderate stretch | Paratha, quick naan, pitta at a push |
| Strong white bread flour | 12-14% | Chewy, elastic, holds gas well | Pizza, pitta, chewier naan |
| Tipo 00 | 11-13% (pizza grade) | Very finely milled, silky, absorbs less water | Neapolitan-style pizza (nice, not essential) |
| Atta | ~11-13% | Wholewheat, very finely stone-ground | Chapati, roti, paratha |
| Self-raising | Plain flour + baking powder | Built-in chemical lift | Quick, no-yeast naan and flatbreads |
Atta is not the same as UK wholemeal. Atta is ground very fine from hard wheat in a chakki mill. That milling damages the starch, so it soaks up more water and gives a soft, pliable dough that rolls thin. UK wholemeal is coarser, and a chapati made with it comes out heavier and more crumbly. If you're stuck without atta, mix roughly 50/50 wholemeal and plain, or sift the wholemeal.
Self-raising is just plain flour with baking powder already mixed in, about 1 tsp per 100-150g. You can make your own anytime.
Bakers measure water as a percentage of flour weight. For example, 100g flour with 65g water is 65% hydration.
Atta is thirsty, so it needs more water than plain flour to reach the same softness. Liquids like milk and yoghurt count roughly as water but also tenderise the dough.