What is emmer wheat used for? How to eat khapli atta

Emmer wheat is used the same way as any wheat, and khapli atta is the Indian name for its flour. The main use is the everyday roti and phulka. From the same flour come parathas, theplas, puris and chillas, breads and biscuits, and sweets such as khapli halwa. The whole grain, emmer wheat itself, is cooked as a rice stand-in, cracked into dalia for upma or porridge, or added to khichdi and salads. Every dish in the khapli atta recipes roundup starts from one of these forms.

The roti is the usual way in, and the method is the classic one, with two changes. Mix two cups of khapli atta (240 g) with warm water, added in parts until the dough is soft and slightly sticky; khapli needs a little more water than regular atta. Rest the dough for 30 minutes, or up to an hour: the atta drinks in the water and the rotis roll out and puff better. Skip the rest and the rotis can turn out dry and cracked at the edges. Divide into eight balls of 30 g each, roll each one on a dusted board, cook on a hot tawa and puff over the open flame, then brush with ghee. The full recipe with phulka-style puffing is khapli atta roti.

Beyond the tawa, khapli atta bakes. Bread is usually made as a blend: mix khapli with regular atta or maida, use a wetter dough than usual and give it a longer proof; biscuits and cakes can be made from khapli atta alone. For sweets, khapli atte ka halwa roasts the atta in ghee and finishes it with jaggery, a classic halwa. Parathas, theplas, puris and chillas all take khapli atta as they take regular atta, just with the same 30-minute rest and a little more water. Step-by-step loaves are on khapli atta bread, the halwa recipe is khapli atte ka halwa, and the differences to bake around are on khapli wheat vs normal wheat.

The whole grain is the other way to eat khapli, and it needs a long cook. Rinse the grain and soak it in cold water for 8 hours. Then either pressure-cook for 4 to 5 whistles or simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until each kernel has a soft, chewy bite. Eat it like rice with dal and sabzi, fold it into khichdi, or cool it into salads. Cracked khapli (dalia) cooks faster and makes a savoury upma with vegetables or a sweet dalia with milk and jaggery.

The numbers below are the khapli kitchen in one place; they match the recipes and storage notes the rest of this page uses.

For cooked khapli dishes the UK Food Standards Agency advises eating leftovers within 48 hours: cool the food at room temperature and get it into the fridge within an hour or two. That is the up-to-two-days rule in the table.

• Assuming khapli atta is gluten-free. Emmer is a true wheat, and wheat, barley and rye are the three cereals the NHS names for gluten, so khapli stays off a gluten-free diet. The details are on is khapli atta gluten free.
• Skipping the soak. The whole grain stays hard without it; 8 hours is the standard, so start it the night before.
• Skipping the dough rest. Thirty minutes makes the difference between a soft roti and a dry, cracked one.
• Using the same water as regular atta. Khapli needs a little more; add it in parts until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.
• Cooking the grain like rice. It needs the full 4 to 5 whistles or 40 to 50 minutes to turn tender.
• Keeping atta in a warm, open space. It picks up moisture and can turn musty; keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Both forms keep well, and both have one enemy: moisture. Whole khapli grain keeps for months in an airtight bin in a cool, dry cupboard. Milled khapli atta is best used fresh: keep it in an airtight container and use it up without long gaps. If the atta or the grain smells bitter or musty, it has turned; throw it out. Buy the 1 kg pack unless a large family finishes atta fast. The full storage notes, and the signs of spoilage, are on the khapli atta guide.

How to eat khapli atta?

The everyday use is the roti: knead khapli atta with warm water, rest the dough for 30 minutes, roll small rounds and cook them on a hot tawa, then brush with ghee. It also makes parathas, puris, breads, biscuits and halwa, and the whole grain is cooked or cracked into dalia. The step-by-step roti is khapli atta roti.

How to use khapli atta?

Use it wherever you use regular atta, with two adjustments: a little more water in the dough, and a 30-minute rest before rolling. It makes rotis, parathas and chillas, bakes into breads and biscuits (blended with regular atta or maida for bread), and cooks into halwa and other sweets. The whole grain is a separate form: soak it for 8 hours before cooking.

How to cook emmer wheat?

Rinse the whole grain, soak it in cold water for 8 hours, then pressure-cook for 4 to 5 whistles or simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until every kernel is soft with a chewy bite. Use it like rice, fold it into khichdi, or cool it for salads. Cracked emmer (dalia) cooks faster and suits upma, porridge and sweet dalia.

How does khapli atta taste?

Nutty and earthy. COWBERRY describes its khapli wheat as having a deep nutty flavour, and its stone-ground khapli atta as keeping an earthy flavour.

Does emmer wheat make good bread?

It does, with help. Blend khapli atta with regular atta or maida, use a slightly wetter dough and allow a longer proof; biscuits and cakes can take khapli atta alone. The method is on khapli atta bread.