Breaking down Raymond Kahuma's Sh1 million world's largest chapati attempt

Content creator Raymond Kahuma's recent attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world's largest chapati, right here in Kenya, was an ambitious undertaking that ultimately cost over Sh1.19 million.

The goal was to create a chapati weighing 150 kilograms, aiming to surpass the current record of 145 kilograms and 3 metres in diameter, set in India.

The project ended in failure but provided a look into the Sh1.1 million bill shouldered by Kahuma in the attempt.

The first phase involved building a custom brick stove.

To accommodate a chapati larger than the 3-metre record, the stove was constructed to be 3.5 metres in diameter.

This stage was completed in one day and cost a total of Sh137,470.

The expenses for the stove included Sh83,200 for materials (bricks, sand, cement, vermiculite), Sh22,970 for labour, Sh14,100 for transport, and Sh17,200 for the location and security.

A massive frying pan was required for cooking the chapati.

This was fabricated by welding together six large pieces of black sheet metal, which were then cut into a circle.

The pan was reinforced with more metal to prevent it from sagging when hot, and large handles were added.

This process took six days and cost Sh290,470.

The costs included Sh148,510 for materials (sheets, iron rods, welding equipment), Sh65,250 for labour, Sh25,950 for a generator, Sh24,460 for transport, and over Sh26,000 for location, security, tents, and chairs.

To manage the dough, large wooden rolling pins were constructed.

Additionally, 20 thin pieces of wood were made.

These were designed to slide under the chapati to spread cooking oil and prevent it from sticking or burning.

The most significant engineering challenge was flipping the chapati.

The solution involved four large, round wooden boards.

The plan was to slide two boards underneath the chapati and place two on top, effectively clamping the chapati in the middle.

This would, in theory, allow the team to flip the entire assembly to cook the other side.

The creation of all the wooden tools, i.e rolling pins, oil sticks, and flipping boards, took four days and cost Sh257,736.

Materials accounted for Sh198,728 of this cost.

To verify the record, a method for weighing the final product was devised.

A large, square metal frame was built to suspend a butcher's scale.

The plan was to hang the cooked chapati (while on two of the wooden boards) from the scale, then subtract the weight of the boards to get the chapati's net weight.

This weighing rig was constructed in two days at a cost of Sh133,600.

This included Sh89,000 for materials and Sh31,200 for the butcher scale and ropes.

For the final attempt, Kahuma assembled a team of chapati chefs.

They prepared a mixture of water, salt, sugar, oil, and turmeric, then mixed it with 153 kilograms of flour to create two large batches of dough.

The dough was transferred to the oiled giant pan and rolled flat for one full hour.

A large metal ring was used to give the chapati a defined circular shape.

The team then lit the stove with four bags of charcoal.

Once the stove reached a hot temperature, the pan was transferred onto it to cook.

The record attempt came to a halt during the cooking process.

When the team tried to insert the thin wooden sticks to spread oil underneath, they found the sticks would not slide.

Instead, the pressure caused the chapati to break.

This failure meant the team could not get oil under the chapati to prevent burning, nor could they get the flipping boards into position.

With no way to oil or flip the chapati, the attempt was officially called off as a failure.

The total cost of the project, including all equipment, preparation, and the final attempt, reached Sh1,190,937.

This final figure was composed of the Sh819,276 for the custom equipment, Sh233,403 for preparation (initial ingredients, labour, utensils), and Sh138,258 for the final attempt day.