Puffy, fluffy Puri will soon be the least intimidating deep-fried Indian bread that you can make with this detailed step-by-step guide. With just one ingredient and no leavening, you'll have perfectly puffed puri ready for breakfast or as prasad after prayers.
Add the atta into a mixing bowl. Pour in the oil. Then, slowly add the water in while mixing everything together with your fingers until the flour is hydrated and you have a coarse dough.
Knead the flour together until it forms a rough ball of dough. The dough should be hard when you push a finger into it. Lightly brush some oil on top of the dough and cover it with cling wrap or a kitchen towel. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
After resting, knead the dough again into a smooth ball. Roll the dough out into a log. Cut the log into 8 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
Work with one dough ball at a time. Roll the dough out using a rolling pin into a circle as large and thin as possible without tearing it.
In a deep wok or dutch oven for frying, heat neutral oil for deep frying. It'll start to shimmer once it's hot and ready for frying.
Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to the oil, slipping it in from the edge of the wok and into the oil. With a slotted spoon, gently hold the dough under the oil until it begins to puff. Fry until golden, about 1 minute total, and flip on the other side.
Gently push the puri under the oil again for about 10 seconds and then fry until golden brown, about a minute.
Transfer the puri to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with the rest of the rolled out puri dough.
Serve the puri immediately as they are freshly fried while they're puffy and hot.