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1
Place the atta flour in a medium bowl and make a well in the center.
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2
Add the water and stir until a soft dough forms.
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3
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.
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4
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let stand 1/2 to 1 hour so that the dough can relax.
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5
Toast the cumin seeds in a heavy skillet, stirring until they start to brown and smell good.
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6
Remove the cumin, grind in a mortar or spice mill, and set aside.
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7
In the same fashion, toast and grind the black pepper and set aside.
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8
Split the dough into eight pieces by rolling it out into an oblong, then cutting it in halves, then quarters, then eighths.
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9
Take one piece of dough, roll out into a circle about six inches in diameter, and spread lightly with some of the olive oil.
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10
Sprinkle the bread round with a pinch of the cumin, peppercorns, salt, and chopped cilantro (use 1/8 of each) on the bread.
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11
Roll the bread up into a cylinder, then roll the cylinder up like a snail shell, and then roll out once more into a circle.
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12
Toast the bread on a heated, lightly oiled griddle for 1-2 minutes a side or until lightly toasted.
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13
Repeat with the remaining bread.
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14
Keep the toasted breads on a plate or basket, covered with a clean dishtowel to keep them warm until serving.
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15
To freeze the breads before cooking, stack the bread rounds with a piece of waxed paper between each pair, then wrap in foil or place in a freezer bag.
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16
Ingredient note: Atta flour is a semi-refined flour made from durum wheat.
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17
It has some of the bran removed, but isn't all the way processed like the all-purpose white flour you find in an American supermarket.
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18
According to one source I found, there are different grades of Indian flour -- the one with the least bran removed is atta, then there's sooji, then there's maida which seems almost like a cake flour, very finely milled.
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19
Other sources say that atta has only the husk removed and that it's wholemeal, and it also seems that it varies from brand to brand -- for example, Sujatha brand is supposedly wholemeal, Golden Temple brand contains some maida.
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20
You can get atta at Indian or many Asian groceries, sold in bags just like all-purpose flour in a supermarket, or you can get it mailorder from somewhere like namaste.com, or another suggestion I haven't tried is to substitute Red Mill 100% whole wheat flour.
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21
You can also use all-purpose flour, which is what the recipe I adapted from calls for, but if you can get the atta I think you'll like it better.
