Atta Flour
Pronunciation: (aa-ta) (with an Indian accent. kthxbai)
Atta flour is just whole wheat flour. What makes it different from normal whole wheat flour is that it is ground super super fine.
Atta flour is the most common type of flour in India. It's used for everything from roti (floppy flat bread), to any kind of chaat (fried breads).
I know I just said a bunch of words that you probably don't know, but basically atta flour is finely ground wheat flour that is used all the time in Indian cooking.
Bench Scraper
A bench scraper is a metal or plastic blunt-edged tool used to handle dough more easily and efficiently.
They can be used to scrape dough out of a bowl, divide dough into pieces, handle really wet dough that sticks to your hands, and to help shape loaves.
It's useful.
Be careful when using a metal bench scraper, they can scratch your counter. I just use plastic ones for the time being.
Comal
Pronunciation: (coe-mal) like when you're coworker is in the mall.
A flat cast iron skillet.
Basically the Spanish version of a tawa, just not as easy to handle, typically a rough surface, much heavier and sometimes higher edges.
It's used for cooking flatbreads and grilling/frying.
Masala
Masala is a word to describe a combination of spices mixed into a paste or powder that are used in Indian cooking.
It could roughly translate to "Seasonings"
"Masala" basically just means: "the flavoring part of the dish". This could be spices, herbs, chiles, or even some sauces.
Typically it is thought of as spicy, though.
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Proofing/Proving dough
These are interchangable terms that basically mean "the time that dough is rising"
The "dough proofing/proving period" is the stage of bread making where leavend bread is rising.
Roti
Pronunciation: (row-tee)
Indian flat bread. Very similar to tortillas.
The word roti literally means "bread".
Roti is the most common type of bread in India by a LONG shot and it is eaten with atleast 60% of indian foods.
You might also see it called phulka or chapati.
Tawa
Pronunciation: (ta-va) (the /w/ says /v/)
A tawa is a flat pan used in Indian cooking.
It is similar to a comal, but it's usually nicer and easier to handle and is just better.
